


Welcome to the Hellmouth

by FanficAllergy, RoseFyre



Series: Katniss the Vampire Slayer [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Gen, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-02 13:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4062433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficAllergy/pseuds/FanficAllergy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseFyre/pseuds/RoseFyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Panem, California was supposed to be a sleepy little town with an oddly disproportionate number of cemeteries.  The Everdeens had moved there in order to give their eldest daughter, Katniss, a fresh start.  Little did they know just how mistaken they were.  Thankfully there's an all night bakery and a coffee shop on every corner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Episode One - Part One - Welcome to Panem

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer is property of Mutant Enemy. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.

**oOo**

 

 

**oOo**

 

Panem, California was a little sleepy little town about two hours north of Los Angeles.  It had the requisite Starbucks on every corner, a boutique bakery that was the envy of thirteen counties, a small branch of the University of California, the state champion high school archery team, and an oddly disproportionate number of cemeteries, mostly filled with the unfortunate victims of barbecue fork accidents and gangs on PCP.  

 

It was the kind of town where a couple would feel safe settling down, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, to raise a family.  The schools were good.  The police more concerned about donuts than drugs.  And the children were above average.

 

Nothing ever happened in Panem.  The mayor, Alma Coin, worked very hard to keep it that way.

 

So it was with some trepidation that two teens tiptoed toward the darkened high school.

 

“Are you sure it’ll be alright?” a small fashionably dressed dark-haired girl of maybe seventeen asked her companion.  She had a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her dark hair was styled in a high ponytail which cascaded over her left shoulder.  

 

The boy, a pale teen with dark curly brown hair and an unfashionable yellow windbreaker, whispered back, “Trust me, it’ll be awesome.”  He looked out of place standing next to the girl and he kept glancing over his shoulder as if to make sure that she hadn’t run away.  

 

She raised one immaculately tweezed eyebrow.  “You think breaking into the high school’s awesome?”

 

“Have you seen Coach Abernathy’s office?  Rumor has it the guy’s got a liquor stash that puts the Arena to shame!”

 

“That’s not hard.  Caesar only stocks fruity and brightly colored stuff and most of his customers are under the age of twenty one, so it’s not like there’s a lot of drinking going on anyway.”

 

“Right!  Which means, if we get in, we can steal Haymitch’s stash.”  He smiled at her shyly, shifting from foot to foot.  “We could have our own party.”

 

“That sounds like fun.”  She placed the tip of her index finger in her mouth and sucked on it slightly.  “But aren’t you worried about booby traps or being caught on camera?”

 

He snorted.  “I disabled them already.  It’s not like the technology’s very good.”

 

She smiled a bit predatorily.  “Oh good. But how will we get in?”

 

“Miss Trinket always leaves one of her windows open at night.  She says it stops the computers from overheating.  It’s got a lock on it to keep it from opening all the way, but I can get around that.  You’ll see!”  He said it with pride, eyeing the pretty girl shyly, clearly hoping for her approval.

 

“You’re so smart!”

 

He beamed at her.  “Come on.”  Jimmying the window of one of the classrooms open, the boy wriggled in before helping his date break into the school.

 

“So where to now?”

 

Looking around quickly, the boy pointed at one of the doors.  “That way.  If we go down that hall, we’ll end up at the gymnasium.”

 

“And if we go that way?” she pointed in the other direction.

 

“That leads to the library.”

 

“Hmm.  Well, lead the way.”

 

He held out his hand to her.  She grasped it quickly, causing him to gasp, “Ooh,  you’re cold!”

 

Squeezing his hand reassuringly, she said, “That’s ‘cause you make me so nervous.”

 

  
The boy shuffled his feet.  “I do?”

 

“Yeah,” she smiled up at him coyly.  “I’ve never had a guy like you.”

 

“Really?  You’re so… so…”

 

Tilting her head to one side, she purred, “So what?”

 

He blushed, glancing down at his feet.  “I don’t know.  Special.”

 

“You don’t know how right you are,” she replied, her voice slightly distorted.

 

When the boy looked back up at his date, his eyes widened.  The girl’s beautiful face had vanished under heavily ridged, almost demonic features and her dark, almost chocolate eyes, were now replaced with bright yellow slits.

 

“Is there something wrong?” she asked.

 

“Your face!” he gasped.  “What happened to your face, Clove?”

 

She smiled, a smile made all the more horrible by her sharp pointed teeth.  “It’s not my face you need to be worrying about.”  With a quick jerk, she pulled him to her, sinking those awful fangs into the side of his neck.  He tried to scream, but it was too late.

 

Miss Trinket found him in the morning, another victim of the gangs on PCP.

 

**oOo**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:  
> Written: 5/29/15  
> Revised: 6/2/15
> 
> Rose and I have been talking about this story for a while. Since December. But when the everlarkianarchives tumblr started hosting their Movies in the Month of May we dusted off our old idea and started fleshing it out. This is going to be a true fusion of Hunger Games into the BuffyVerse (including both the movie and TV series) with the HG characters taking on the roles of the Buffy ones. We will not be just rehashing BTVS but there will be some similarities and some differences. 
> 
> Up Next: Part Two -- Meet the Slayer. What’s a Slayer?
> 
> Let us know what you think!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Episode One - Part Two - Meet the Slayer.  What’s a Slayer?

**oOo**

 

“Alright, Katniss, we’re here,” a tall man with thick dark hair just beginning to go gray at the temples said to the girl sitting in the passenger seat.

 

Katniss sighed and looked over at her father. “I don’t see why we had to move,” she said, glaring at a group of kids driving down the street, blaring some kind of guitar and drum heavy anthem. She rubbed her forehead. First day of school and already she had a headache.

 

Mr. Everdeen ignored his daughter’s muttering, instead addressing her first complaint. “The offer was too good to pass up. Besides, did you really want to stay in LA after… you know…”

 

The topic was a common one in the Everdeen household after the Hemery High disaster and Katniss was sick of her father pussyfooting around the issue whenever it came up.   “Say it, Dad.”

 

“Well, you did burn down the gym, honey.” He looked over at her apologetically.

 

“I already told you why.”

 

“And I told you, I believe you,” he said soothingly. “I do. But not everyone will. Vampires are a hard sell in this day and age.” He paused like he was choosing his next words carefully. “And sweetie, I don’t want you to end up in a mental institution, so you’ve got to be really careful who you trust with the truth.”

 

“I know, Daddy. It’s just… I miss my friends.” It was more that she missed the familiar streets of her former home and the sounds of the city. Other than Pike, who was off who knows where, there wasn’t really anyone she was close to.

 

A fact her father knew well. “You had friends?” he asked jokingly.

 

She glared at him. “You know what I mean.”

 

“I know you don’t like change, but think of Prim. This is going to be good for her. She--”

 

“Yeah, she doesn’t have to be the Firestarter’s baby sister,” Katniss added, interrupting her father.

 

The man scrubbed at his face. “I hate it when you put it like that, it’s so Stephen King, but… yes.” He took a deep breath and pressed on. “Things are going to be great here. I’ve got a good job with good benefits. The schools have an A+ rating. And your mother was really lucky to get a job as a partner with that nice Dr. Benjamin.”

 

Leaning her head against the side of the car, Katniss sighed. “I still think he has a weird first name. What kind of parent names their kid Gloss?”

 

Mr. Everdeen poked at his daughter’s arm playfully. “I don’t know, what kind of parent names their kid Katniss?”

 

She shot him a look. “Not helping, Dad.”

 

He smiled at her, love shining from his eyes. “You should go, sweetie, before too many people notice you. You don’t want to get to the reputation of being the librarian’s pet. Besides, I think Principal Cinna’s waiting for you.” He pointed to a figure of an adult standing at the top of the stairs to the high school.

 

“He’s gonna hate me,” Katniss said, resigned.

 

“Give him a chance.”

 

“Fine.” Katniss got out of the car. “I have a ninety percent certainty he’s gonna hate me. Better?”

 

Her father nodded. “By ten percent. Try to have a good day, sweetie.”

 

“Goodbye, Dad.” She trudged down the sidewalk and up the stairs.

 

As her father predicted, the principal was waiting for her. Principal Cinna was a tall, dark skinned man in an impeccably designed suit with close cropped dark hair and, for a little bit of flair, just the slightest hint of gold eyeliner.   His smiled at her warmly, the sentiment reaching his eyes. “Miss Everdeen, welcome to Panem High. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Would you mind if I called you Katniss?”

 

Katniss shrugged. “I don’t care.” He seemed different from most of the school principals Katniss had been exposed to. Kinder. More laid back.

 

“Wonderful. Let’s go to my office and have a quick chat before your guide arrives to take you to your first class, Katniss.”

 

She regarded him solemnly, unsure if his demeanor was some kind of trick. “Sure. Whatever.”

 

Principal Cinna showed her to his office and motioned for her to take a seat in a surprisingly comfortable-looking chair.

 

She raised her eyebrow. This seemed almost too good to be true. That instantly put Katniss on edge. “You’re not what I was expecting.”

 

The man sat down across from her. “What were you expecting?”

 

She decided to test him by telling the truth. “I don’t know, someone with a little more starch in his collar or a stick up his ass.”

 

He chuckled. “Well, I admit I find starched collars a little itchy and I imagine that having a stick up my ass would be most uncomfortable.” He leaned forward and regarded her seriously. “I find it best not to make snap judgments and to get to know my students as people, rather than as pieces of paper.”

 

“So you mean you’re not going to judge me by my record?” She eyed the various folders on his desk warily.

 

He placed a hand on a thick file. “Well, your record is… colorful, to say the least. But I don’t see anything here that’s a dealbreaker.”

 

“Most schools would find burning down the gym to be a bit of a dealbreaker.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Were you planning on burning the gym down here?”

 

Katniss was shocked at the question. “No. Of course not!” she blurted out without thinking.

 

“Good.” Principal Cinna smiled at her. “Were you planning on burning down any other parts of the school?”

 

“No!”

 

“Any arson-related urges at all?”

 

She shook her head. “No.”

 

Leaning back in his chair, the man said, “Then I think we’re fine. Out of curiosity, why did you burn down the gym?”

 

“It was full of…” she stopped for a moment, remembering her father’s words from that morning. “Rats. It was full of rats.”

 

“I see. Rats.” He nodded his head as though the explanation were perfectly reasonable. “Well, if there ever comes a time when you discover a rat problem here at Panem High School, please contact one of the janitors or let the office know and we’ll take care of the extermination for you.”

 

“Thanks,” Katniss replied, stunned.  

 

They didn’t get a chance to chat further because someone knocked on the door. “Ah, that must be your guide. Come in, dear!”

 

The door opened and a slightly plump blond haired girl poked her head in. “Is she ready, Principal Cinna?”

 

The man nodded his head. “I think we’ve gone over everything we need to do. Just pick up her class schedule and locker assignment from Portia and you can be on your way.”

 

The girl flashed a grin. “Will do, Principal Cinna!”

 

Katniss stood up and looked over her shoulder. “Um, thanks, again.”

 

“I’m betting on you, girl on fire. Don’t let me down.”

 

Katniss smiled. “I won’t. That’s a better nickname than the one I’ve been calling myself.”

 

“Oh?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah. I’ve been calling myself the Firestarter.”

 

He regarded her with interest. “After the book. If you’re into reading, I hear the literary club is looking for new members.”

 

Katniss shook her head. “Thanks, but… no. I was thinking of trying something less stressful. Something like… cheerleading.”

 

“Cheerleading?” the blonde girl chirped. “Did you say cheerleading?”

 

“Um, yes?” Katniss answered, unsure if all of the perkiness was real or not.

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” the girl clapped her hands. “I was thinking of going out for the team, tryouts are on Wednesday, we should both go together!”

 

Katniss took a step back, a little bowled over by the girl’s enthusiasm. “That sounds… nice? I’m Katniss, by the way. Katniss Everdeen.”

  

“Oh! I’m Adelaide Cartwright, but everybody calls me Delly.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Delly,” Katniss said, her tone warmer and less wary than before. “So… shall we go?”

 

“Oh, of course. Sure. Absolutely!” They left Principal Cinna’s office and went into the main office.

 

An immaculately dressed woman with curly white hair with a bluish tinge to it pulled out a folder. “Here’s everything you need,” she said, not even looking up from her computer screen.

 

Delly grabbed it and thrust it into Katniss’s hands. “Thanks, Miss Portia! I’ll take it from here.”

 

“You’re the most enthusiastic person I’ve ever had take me on a school tour,” Katniss commented as they exited the school office. “Most of the time I get stuck with some member of the AV club or the Student Council President who doesn’t want to be there.” She winced. She didn’t mean to bring up that she’d been to multiple schools, mostly around LA. After she was expelled from Hemery, her parents enrolled her in another school. They’d let her attend for maybe a week and then kick her out when her school records finally showed up. It was thanks to her dad that she hadn’t been held back a year. She didn’t need that stigma following her here.

 

Thankfully it seemed that her guide hadn’t noticed her slip. “Oh no, I love it,” Delly said shaking her head, causing her blond hair to bounce. “It gives me a chance to meet everyone and get to know them, I kind of get the whole scoop, you know? I get to learn the first things about all of our new students. It’s really exciting!”

 

“I guess.” Katniss opened the folder and pulled out her schedule. “It says my first class is biology. Then I’ve got computers and English, then gym, followed by lunch, then history and math.” She made a face. “I wanted to take French. What do I need to know about computers?”

 

“Oh, but you’ll love the teacher!” Delly soothed. “Miss Trinket is so much fun. She’s got the most quirky sense of humor.”

 

Quirky was what you called the crazy cat lady down the street. It didn’t inspire confidence. “Great.”

 

“And you’ll have that class with me,” Delly continued like Katniss hadn’t spoken. “I take computers second hour!”

 

“Great,” Katniss said with slightly more enthusiasm. “At least I’ll know one person there.”

 

“Let’s make that two. Hi Madge!” Delly waved happily at another blond haired girl, this one slimmer and paler, wearing well-made clothing that wouldn’t be out of place on a worst dressed list. “Madge Undersee’s my best friend, we’ve known each other since preschool. Don’t let her last name turn you off.”

 

“Why would it turn me off?” Katniss asked, genuinely confused.

 

Delly leaned over and whispered, “Her dad’s in the state house. Not everyone likes his politics.”

 

“Ah. Well, I’m not all that interested in politics…”

 

The other girl, Madge, approached smiling. “Don’t believe a word that this thief says.”

 

“Thief?” Katniss looked over at Delly, confusion written all over her features. Why would anyone call Delly a thief?

 

“Ha, I was right, she didn’t tell you that she stole my Barbie!”

 

“We were four!” Delly protested.

 

“I still haven’t gotten it back!”

 

Katniss laughed.

 

“I see they’ve got you on escort duty again,” Madge said, eyeing Katniss curiously.

 

“This is Katniss Everdeen. She transferred here from LA.”

 

“Everdeen, Everdeen… are you the new librarian’s daughter?” Madge asked.

 

Katniss nodded her head. “Yup, that’s my dad.”

 

“Oh, I love the library!” Delly exclaimed. “They’ve got so many books! I want to read them all!”

 

Katniss smiled. “I like the library too.” Then her smile slowly faded away. “Though I don’t get much time to spend there anymore.”

 

“Why not?” Madge asked curiously.

 

“Oh, you know, life,” she replied with a vague gesture. “Boys. Unexpected extracurricular activities.”

 

Madge looked down at her clothes, picking at them morosely. “I wouldn’t know about that. I don’t have a life.”

 

“Madge!” Delly admonished. “What about me and Gale?”

 

“What about it?” Madge asked sadly. “You two are dating, you’re like a bicycle. You don’t need a third wheel.”

 

“Oh sure we do! You know you’re always welcome with us!”

 

Katniss looked over at Delly in barely-concealed surprise. “You have a boyfriend?” Internally she winced, she didn’t mean for it to come out so insulting.

 

Again Delly didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah. We’ve known each other forever.”

 

“Speaking of… incoming.” Madge motioned down the hall.

 

Katniss turned to see a tall dark-haired boy with muscles on his muscles and a face best described as ‘oh my God, he’s hot!’ approaching. “That’s your boyfriend?”

 

“Gale!” Delly said happily.

 

“Hey Dels,” Gale greeted with a genuine smile on his face. He leaned down and kissed his girlfriend. “How are you doing today?”

 

Delly cuddled against him and Gale put an arm around her shoulders. “Great!” she said, turning to face the other two. “Gale, this is Katniss Everdeen, Katniss, this is Gale Hawthorne the best boyfriend in all the world!”

 

“I dont know about that.” He smiled down at her. “But I’m your boyfriend so I’m pretty lucky.” Gale held out a hand to Katniss. “Nice to meet you. I hope Dels here isn’t scaring you away.”

 

Katniss took it, careful not to squeeze too hard. “It takes a little bit more than a nice girl like Delly to scare me.”

 

“Good to know.” Gale turned to Delly. “Hey, just wanted to let you know that I’ll be picking you up tonight at seven to head to the Arena.”

 

“The Arena?” Katniss asked.

 

“Oh, it’s the best club here in town!” Delly said.

 

“It’s the only club here in town,” Madge interjected.

 

“That makes it the best! Anyway, Caesar’s the host, and he’s awesome, and they have the best karaoke and baked goods. You want to come?”

 

Karaoke and baked goods sounded a little odd for a club but she’d heard of weirder in LA. “Sure?”

 

“Great! Madge, you think you can pick her up?”

 

Madge opened her mouth to say something but before she could say anything Katniss spoke.

 

“Oh no, you don’t need to, I’ll find my own way there,” Katniss hurriedly exclaimed. “I’ve got… things to do, after school, and my mom’s really big on this whole family dinner thing, so seven’s a little early. But eight, nine? I could do eight or nine.”

 

“We’d just be happy to see you,” Delly said encouragingly.

 

“It’s a date,” Gale said. “But we should probably get going. Dr. Gregory doesn’t like his students to be late.”

 

“Hey, I think we’ve got the same class,” Katniss said, looking at her schedule.

 

“Great. I’ll show you the way.”

 

**oOo**

 

The sound of sneakers squeaking across the polished wooden floors was enough to give anyone a headache. Haymitch Abernathy, the long-suffering gym teacher, looked like he had three. The man’s arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were staring at the door to the girls’ locker room like he was waiting for someone to come out.

 

When Katniss entered the gym, adjusting her t-shirt and shorts, Haymitch moved. He pulled out a whistle and blew it. “Alright, everyone. Welcome to Panem, or as I like to call it, the Hellmouth.”

 

Katniss started, looking over at him.

 

“Anyway, you little demons, I’m your gym instructor, Haymitch Abernathy, and for our first day of class, you’ll be running laps. Fifteen of them. Now. Go.”

 

A chorus of groans rose up from the assembled students, but they did as he said. The man was known in student circles for being impatient, and people who didn’t follow his orders had a tendency to end up in detention… or worse. There was a rumor that he once threw a wooden stake at a student who disrupted one of the basketball games. The rumor wasn’t clear on whether the kid survived, one rumor had it that the kid exploded into a cloud of dust, so nobody really knew if it was true or not.

 

But better safe than sorry.

 

Katniss fell into step with the middle of the pack. Haymitch’s eyes never left her, narrowing when he noticed that she was clearly making an effort not to stand out.

 

After five laps, it seemed like he had finally had enough. “Everdeen! Over here! Now!”

 

Katniss looked over at him, an expression of confusion on her face.

 

“Get over here!”

 

The girl crossed over to the surly blond man. “What’d I do?”

 

“It’s what you’re not doing,” he said to her in a low tone. “You ain’t tryin’.”

 

“What do you mean?” Katniss asked, her tone carefully neutral.

 

He narrowed his eyes. “You could beat these schmucks without even breakin’ a sweat and both you and me know it.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said in the same tone.

 

“Don’t give me that BS, sweetheart. You’re a Slayer.”

 

Katniss’s eyes widened at the term. “How do you know that?” she hissed.

 

Haymitch let out a short bark of laughter. “Cause I’m your Watcher. Name’s Haymitch.”

 

Taking a step back, Katniss snarled, “I don’t need a Watcher.”

 

“Are you always this delusional or are you just bein’ ornery?”

 

“I don’t need a Watcher,” Katniss repeated, her eyes a little wild. “I don’t need anyone else to die for me. Wiress…”

 

“Wiress knew the stakes when she went in,” Haymitch cut her off. “All of us do. Our job is to keep you alive so you can save the world.”

 

“I don’t want to save the world!” she protested, careful to keep her voice down. “I just want to go to high school, maybe date a boy. Go to college. And not have to worry about whether or not I know the plural for apocalypse.” She paused, tilting her head. “Is it apocalypses or apocalypsi?”

 

Chuckling, the scruffy blond man said, “You’re askin’ the wrong man that. I’m a gym teacher, not a grammatician.”

 

“So what do you want me to do?”

 

“Well, first rule of staying alive is not having the bad guys realize you’re the Slayer,” he told her. “Stayin’ out of their sight’s the easiest way to stay alive.”

 

She crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. “Is that all the advice you’re gonna give me?”

 

“What, stay alive ain’t enough?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Fine, you’re out of shape,” he stated flatly, looking her up and down. “We’ll work on your form later. I’ll let your pa focus on the book stuff.”

 

“What?” Katniss’s eyes widened.

 

“Oh you mean you don’t know?” Haymitch let out a bark of laughter loud enough that several students paused in their laps to look over at them. “My my, sounds like Merrick’s got a bit of explaining to do. Go on, I gotta get this class going. Don’t want it to seem like I have favorites. Even if I do.”

 

Katniss rejoined the students for the last few laps of their run and quickly took a spot near the head of the group.

 

Haymitch noted this and nodded his head in approval. When the man finally called it to a halt, she plopped down on the floor next to a blond girl with a partially shaved head wearing super stylish and expensive gym clothing.

 

“I hate that man!” the girl complained, glaring at Haymitch. “Doesn’t he know what all this sweat does to one’s hair?”

 

“Oh you’re so right, Cressida!” another girl wearing feathered barrettes said. “If I had to run one more lap I think I’d die.”

 

“I think I died two laps ago,” the boy next to her said. “Is it lunch yet? I want a sandwich.”

 

“Not yet, Flavius-baby,” the last member of their little group, a girl dressed in all green and wearing green eyeshadow cooed.

 

“So who are you, new girl?” Cressida asked.

 

Katniss looked at the four of them and seemed to debate with herself about answering. “I’m Katniss Everdeen.”

 

“Katniss,” Cressida rolled the name over her tongue. Her face showed what she thought of its uniqueness. “So, tell me about yourself.”

 

Shrugging her shoulders, Katniss answered, “Well, I’m from LA--”

 

“LA!” the girl with feathered barrettes piped up. “I love LA, they have so many pretty clothes there! I’m Venia, by the way.” She waved at the dark-haired girl.

 

Katniss waved back. “I guess,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I never really noticed.”

 

Cressida’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you like fashion?”

 

“Oh!” Katniss smiled. “I love nice clothes, I just didn’t realize what I had, and then we moved here.”

 

“Oh you poor thing,” the girl dressed in green cooed. “Imagine being taken from the big city to a little podunk town like this! It’s gotta be horrible!”

 

“Well, moderately.”

  

“So what else did you do in LA?” Venia asked.

 

“Um, I was on the gymnastics team for a while, but I want to try something new. Something like, I dunno, cheerleading?”

 

“Oh you should totally come to tryouts on Wednesday! We’re all on the team. I’m sure you’d fit in perfectly! Not like some people,” Cressida said.

 

Katniss raised an eyebrow. “Some people?”

 

“Yes, some people,” Cressida repeated with some heat. “People who just don’t understand how they’re supposed to act around their betters, and take things that don’t belong to them.”

 

“Don’t worry, Cressida,” the girl in green soothed. “I’m sure Gale will wake up one day and see just what he’s missing.”

 

“Thanks, Octavia. I just wish it would happen soon.” Cressida sighed. “I need a date for Homecoming.”

 

“I think I’m gonna go take a shower,” Katniss said, rising to her feet. “I don’t want to smell of sweaty armpits for the rest of the day. See you guys tomorrow.” She didn’t wait for their replies.

 

**oOo**

 

The Panem High School library was unique. By the librarian’s office there was a book cage with some very sturdy wire mesh around it. No one knew why it existed. It almost looked prison-like and there were rumors of librarians past locking up loved ones in the cage until people returned their overdue library books.

 

There were a lot of rumors in Panem.

 

Merrick Everdeen was puttering around, familiarizing himself with the previous librarian’s cataloging system. Dewey Decimal it was not. “How did anybody find anything here?” he exclaimed to the empty room.

 

“Oh I don’t know, Dad, maybe he just had something to hide.”

 

Merrick whirled. His daughter was standing in the doorway of the library, leaning on the partially closed double door. “Katniss!” He ran a hand through his hair. “How has your day been?”

 

“Great!” Her tone indicated anything but. “Guess who I met today?”

 

“Who?”

 

She pushed open the other library door to reveal Haymitch Abernathy.

 

Mr. Everdeen’s eyes widened. “Haymitch! What a lovely surprise.”

 

“Yeah, you’re not the only one getting a surprise today!” Katniss growled, stalking into the room. “Not only did I find out that I have a new Watcher, but my father, the man I trusted and loved, has been lying to me my whole life!”

 

“Lying to you about what?” Mr. Everdeen asked weakly.

 

Katniss wasn’t having any of it. Pointing a finger at Haymitch, she snarled, “You’re one of them. You’re a Watcher.”

 

Her father flinched guiltily.

 

“Heck of a secret to be keeping from your kid, Rick,” Haymitch drawled, sauntering into the room and leaning on the counter lazily. “Does your wife know?”

 

Mr. Everdeen glared at him. “No, and she’s not going to.”

 

“She ever know she was a Potential?”

 

“What kind of idiot do you think I am?”

 

“Potential?” Katniss interrupted. “What’s a Potential?”

 

Haymitch shot Mr. Everdeen a glance before turning to his charge. “Potential Slayer, sweetheart. Your ma there had the potential to have been the next Slayer. Looks like she passed that down the line to you.”

 

“Lucky me,” Katniss said sarcastically.

 

“So when were you gonna tell her you’re a Watcher?” Haymitch turned back to the other man. “Specifically her Watcher?”

 

“I’m not her Watcher,” Mr. Everdeen protested. “I can’t be. I’m her father. The rules specifically state-”

 

“Screw the rules!” Haymitch yelled, slamming his hand down on the counter. “This is about doin’ right by your kid.”

 

“She didn’t need to know. I didn’t want our relationship to change.” He glanced over at Katniss pleadingly.

 

Katniss just stared back at her father. Her hurt and betrayal radiating from every pore.

 

Haymitch surveyed the two Everdeens before saying, “Well, too bad, it has, deal with it. We got more important things to worry about than father-daughter bonding time. Like keeping your kid alive. I ain’t lost a Slayer on my watch, I ain’t about to lose one now.”

 

“You’ve never had a Slayer,” Mr. Everdeen pointed out.

 

“I don’t wanna screw up a good track record.”

 

“Hey guys, back to the topic here? Watchers, both of you.” Katniss pointed at the two of them. “If you don’t want to be my Watcher, Dad, that’s just too bad, if I have to be the Slayer, you both have to be my Watchers.”

 

“That’s my girl,” Haymitch said approvingly. “So I was thinking, Rick, you could take the whole research deal of the Watcher package while I take on the training.”

 

“I’m not taking on anything,” Mr. Everdeen insisted. “I’m not her Watcher.”

 

“So what were you doing out here anyway?” Katniss asked Haymitch, ignoring her father’s protestations. “You’re obviously not new, and I’ve been a Slayer for less than a year.”

 

“I was exiled out here, sweetheart,” the man answered. “To keep an eye on the Boca Del Infierno.”

 

A frown crossed her lips. “The Boca Del Infierno? Mouth of fire?”

 

“Hellmouth. Panem sits on top of a Hellmouth, and lucky you, you get to guard it.” He patted his chest and pants pockets like he was looking for something.

 

“Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat.” Katniss rolled her eyes. “So why’d you get exiled here?”

 

“It’s a long story, sweetheart.”

 

“De-long-ify it.”

 

“Fine. Fell in love with a girl. The Council didn’t approve. She died. The end. That short enough for you?” He pulled out a flask from his pants pocket and took a swig.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Look, Rick, I need you.” Haymitch motioned with the flask. “Your girl needs you. You know I’m crap at the research. I don’t got the patience for it. Besides, my Fyarl’s a little rusty. And don’t even get me started on my Ancient Sumerian.”

 

“How’s your Latin?” Mr. Everdeen asked curiously.

 

“I could go to mass, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

The other man frowned. “I’ll think about it.”

 

“You keep thinking about it and I’ll teach frownyface junior here how to fight.”

 

“I already know how to fight,” Katniss countered, her frown deepening.

 

Haymitch whipped his leg out, catching the girl beside him unawares. In one quick swoop, he had her on her back with his hand wrapped around her throat. “Not like me, sweetheart.”

 

“Get off of me!”

 

Haymitch did, holding a hand out to Katniss. She batted it away, springing to her feet. “Don’t ever do that again.”

 

“Oh we’re gonna do that again, sweetheart,” he disagreed. “Over and over and over. Until you can counter moves like that in your sleep.” He paused, looking at father and daughter. “So, who’s up for burgers?”

 

“Only if you’re paying,” Mr. Everdeen stated.

 

“Fine, frownyface. Come on, sweetheart, let’s go.”

 

The three exited the library.

 

From behind a shelf of books, Gale Hawthorne stepped out, an expression of confusion marring his face. “What’s a Slayer?”

 

**oOo**

 

The Arena was really nothing of the sort. The club was housed in a boxy brick building maybe three or four stories tall in the quote-unquote “bad” part of town, which was about two hundred feet from the “good” part of town. The windows were papered over in film of various bright colors so the light shining into the alleys leading to the main entrance had sort of a rainbow effect. That was just one unusual feature of the club.

 

Most clubs had their entrance on the main street, but in the case of the Arena, the main entrance was off of an alley behind several other businesses, so to enter the club, one had to walk past several dumpsters and the occasional wino.

 

Katniss eyed the place with confusion. In LA, clubs like this didn’t cater to teenagers, or if they did, they were the kind that catered to runaway teenagers, and Katniss never wanted to have a reason to set foot in one of those.

 

There were a few kids hanging out by the entrance, smoking cigarettes. She was surprised. The new smoking laws didn’t go into effect until January first and most bars weren’t going smoke free until they had to. She supposed the alley was a good enough spot; it was better than a gas station or, God forbid, the cemeteries.

 

Taking a deep breath, Katniss opened the door to the Arena and was immediately assaulted by both the noise and the smell. The smell, oddly enough, was quite pleasant, of cinnamon and freshly baked bread. She wondered, idly, how the owner managed to pull that off. The music, on the other hand, was not so pleasant. Someone was wailing off-key to a Christina Aguilera song. Katniss winced, noting it was one of Cressida’s group.   Octavia, she thought the girl’s name was, the green one.

 

Trying to ignore the caterwauling up on stage, Katniss looked around, trying to spot Delly and her group.

 

But before she spotted them, Cressida spotted her, getting up and walking over to her. “Katniss! Fancy meeting you here!”

 

“Hi, Cressida,” she answered politely.

 

“You want to come over and hang out?” the shaved haired girl offered, motioning to a table by the stage. “We’ve got some cinnamon buns, fresh from Mellark’s.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Caesar has an arrangement with the owner, a total hottie but I think he’s gay because he’s never shown an interest in girls.” Katniss deduced that meant Cressida had hit on him and he had rebuffed her. That earned this owner several points in the Slayer’s eyes. Undaunted, Cressida continued, “Every night he gets something new. Last night it was these chocolate chip cookies to die for. Tonight it’s cinnamon buns.”

 

Well, that explained the smell.

 

Behind Cressida, Katniss spotted Gale towering over the rest of the crowd. “Um, rain check? I’m supposed to meet up with another group tonight.”

 

“Oh? Who?” the other girl asked curiously. “Maybe we can all get together and make an occasion of it!”

 

Katniss pointed at Gale. “Um, them, actually.”

 

Cressida looked then turned back to Katniss, her eyes wide. “You are meeting with Gale Hawthorne?”

 

“Um, yeah?”

 

“Is it a date? Tell me it’s a date!” the girl begged. “Tell me he’s kicked that Adelaide Cartwright to the curb where she belongs!”

 

“It’s not a date,” Katniss said with a shake of her head. “As of this morning, he was still with Delly. I suppose something could have changed in the last ten hours.” Internally she doubted that, Gale seemed pretty devoted to his girlfriend and Delly was equally devoted to him.

 

Cressida sighed dramatically. “One can hope.”

 

“Yeah, but I’ll see you tomorrow. Gym, right?” Katniss asked out of politeness rather than any interest.

 

“Sure. But really, Katniss, if you’re going to keep hanging out with Delly and Madge… you’re not gonna go very far.”

 

“But I’m hanging out with Gale?” the Slayer pointed out.

 

Cressida considered it, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. “True, he does add a bit to the cool factor. But, really, Delly? That girl needs to die.”

 

“See you tomorrow,” Katniss repeated, side-eyeing Cressida. That was going a little too far. Of course Cressida probably didn’t mean anything by it, but in Katniss’s world one couldn’t be sure. She slipped away from the other girl and threaded her way through the crowd.

 

Up onstage, Octavia finished her song and there was a smattering of applause, probably because the song was finally over more than anything else.

 

She walked over to the booth holding Gale, Delly, and Madge. Gale had his arm around his girlfriend and she was curled up next to him, smiling up at him happily. Madge was watching the two, envy clearly written all over her face. “Hey guys,” Katniss greeted. “So… this is the Arena.” She motioned to the mass of teenagers.

 

“Katniss!” Delly cried, grinning happily. “You made it!”

 

“So it would seem.”

 

“You’re just in time too! I’m supposed to go up onstage in a few songs, but I think you should go instead!”

 

Katniss took a step back. “Me? Sing?”

 

“Oh come on, everyone sings at the Arena!” Delly enthused. “Caesar insists on it!”

 

“Caesar?”

 

Delly looked around for a bit before pointing at a flamboyantly dressed man in a red sequined suit with a bright blue silk tie and navy blue hair. Coupled with his white shirt, the guy looked like a reject from a Fourth of July parade.   In addition to his avant garde fashion choices, there was also something odd about his eyes. They were purple. Really purple. Like unnaturally purple. Katniss had seen that before and it could spell trouble.

 

“I think I need a drink first,” Katniss said, eyeing the man behind the bar.

 

“Oh! Can you get me one too?” Delly asked, pulling out a five dollar bill. “I’d like a peach sunset.”

 

Katniss nodded her head. “Sure, anyone else?”

 

“Coke,” Gale said, adding his money to the pile.

 

“Just water,” Made whispered, glancing down at her hands.

 

“Okay, one water, one coke, and a peach sunset. Got it.” Katniss made her way to the bar and leaned on it, waiting for Caesar to notice her. It didn’t take him long.

 

The brightly attired man looked her up and down, taking in her black ankle boots, blue jeans accented with a chunky belt, and Audrey Hepburn inspired striped shirt. “My my my, what have we here? You’re new.”

 

“And you’re a morphling,” she stated flatly.

 

The man’s impossibly colored eyes widened. “Slayer.”

 

Katniss smiled. It wasn’t a friendly smile. “In the flesh.”

 

“Are we going to resort to fisticuffs?” the morphling murmured, glancing around the room.

 

“That all depends on you,” Katniss told him. “You planning on scaring anyone to death?”

 

Caesar recoiled back, one hand over his supposed heart. “How gauche! I’ll have you know my clan feeds on emotions and positive emotions are the most satisfying.”

 

Katniss nodded her head, she knew that morphlings were empath demons. But what kind of emotions they fed on varied greatly from demon to demon.   “What kind of proof can you give me?”

 

“Look around you, Slayer.” He opened his arms expansively. “Why do you think I run a club? I get more than my fill every night! I’ve even had a witch I know put a little spell on the place to encourage people to take it outside,” Caesar explained. “So, in the spirit of friendship, how about a lowly barkeep buys you, oh mighty Slayer, a drink?”

 

The explanation made sense and everything he said had the ring of truth to it. It also explained why no one was smoking inside the club; morphlings were highly flammable. “Make it a round for my friends and I’ll consider it. But if I catch you harming a hair on even one human’s head…” She drew a finger across her throat.

 

Caesar waved his hands. “Warning received. Now how about those drinks?”

 

Katniss gave him the order, adding in a raspberry lemonade for herself. She was careful not to indicate who was getting what drink, betting that he wouldn’t want four of his patrons dropping dead. She might believe the morphling, but that didn’t mean she trusted him.  

 

A few minutes later she returned to Delly’s table, a tray of drinks balanced carefully in her hands.

 

“I was worried you weren’t going to make it back in time!” Delly greeted her when she got back. “You’re next!”

 

Katniss eyed the girl currently up on stage singing something from Disney. “Do I have to?”

 

“Yes,” Gale said flatly. “If I have to sing, you have to sing.”

 

“I take it you’re not much of a singer?” she asked teasingly.

 

Gale grunted, “Seagulls sound better than me.”

 

To Gale’s left, Madge was nodding her head emphatically.

 

“Okay. New rule: Gale doesn’t sing.”

 

“That’s right,” the boy agreed. “Gale doesn’t sing.”

 

Taking a sip of her lemonade, Katniss steeled herself for her upcoming performance. “What should I sing?” she asked the group.

 

“I don’t know,” Gale answered. “Whatever speaks to you.”

 

“Ooh, I can help you pick a song!” Delly said, wriggling out from Gale’s arms. “Come on, it’ll be fun. You too, Madge!”

 

“Great,” the other girl said, making a face. “Can’t I just stay here and drink my water?”

 

“No,” Delly answered, her face oddly resolved. “See… here’s my resolve-face. Come on.”

 

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” Madge sighed and slipped out of the booth.

 

The three girls walked up to the karaoke station and thumbed through the list of songs. “Definitely nothing too dark,” Delly said, turning to look at Katniss. “How high do you think you can sing?”

 

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to find out,” Katniss answered evasively. She knew she could sing, but it was something private for her family. She disliked being put on the spot like this and didn’t feel comfortable sharing her gift with the rest of the world.

 

“What about this one?” Madge asked, pointing to a song.

 

“Old school. I like it,” Delly said. “Katniss?”

 

“I think I know the lyrics,” she agreed. “My dad likes this song for some reason. He played it all the time when it first came out.”

 

“Then it’s perfect!” Delly said, looking up. “And just in time! You’re up!”

 

Walking up onstage, Katniss nodded at the boy who’d just finished singing, taking the microphone from his hands. She positioned herself so she could read the lyrics and took several steadying breaths.

 

_“Turn around.”_

 

A recorded male voice started the song.

 

Katniss picked up the lyrics.

 

_“Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you’re never coming round.”_

 

Throughout the club, as Katniss started to sing, people started turning and looking at her, their eyes wide in amazement. Katniss noticed and shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t like singing in public. She always got reactions like this. She wished that she’d picked a slightly shorter song.

 

_“I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark,_  
we’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.   
I really need you tonight,   
forever’s gonna start tonight.   
Forever’s gonna start tonight.”

 

Every single eye in the club was on her… except for two. A handsome boy with sandy brown hair whispered in Madge’s ear. The girl smiled, looking over her shoulder. The boy ran one sure hand up the slender girl’s arm, whispering still more things to her.

 

Katniss narrowed her eyes. There was something off about him. Something not quite right. It could have been his shoes, what 90s teenage boy wore penny loafers with the actual penny in them? But considering Madge’s clothing, for all she knew, it could be a Panem fad.

 

The boy whispered something more into Madge’s ear and the girl nodded her head. Turning away from the stage, she followed him towards the exit.

 

There was nothing Katniss could do that wouldn’t draw too much attention. So she continued the song, hoping that by the time she finished she wouldn’t be too late.

 

_“Once upon a time there was light in my life,_  
But now there's only love in the dark,   
Nothing I can say,   
A total eclipse of the heart.”

 

Thankfully the song was drawing to a close, only a few more repetitions of the words “Total eclipse of the heart” and Katniss could get out of there and follow after her new friend.

 

When the song finished, the Arena burst into a cacophony of applause, real applause, with people cheering and asking for an encore. Katniss smiled self-consciously and quickly made her way to the stairs to the stage.

 

The next performer, a dark-skinned girl about the same age as Katniss’s sister, Prim, whispered, “You sure you don’t want to sing again? I’d give up my turn just to hear you.”

 

“Thanks, but no,” Katniss told the girl. “I’ve gotta go stop a friend from making a horrible mistake.”

 

“Kay,” the girl said, stars in her eyes. “Come back soon!”

 

Katniss didn’t say anything, her eyes intent on the exit. Behind her, she could hear Delly calling her name, but she didn’t dare stop to answer. There were knots in her stomach, and she realized that they weren’t from stage fright. Madge was in big trouble and only she could save her.

 

She pushed the doors of the Arena open, stepping into the gloomy alley. Swiveling her head, she tried to locate where Madge might have gone. By the club entrance, there were a couple of kids smoking.

 

“Did you see which way the two fashion rejects who just came out went?” she asked frantically.

 

A girl with blond hair in two loose braids shrugged. “Um, that way,” she said, pointing down the alley away from the street Katniss had come in on.

 

“Uh, thanks.” She eyed the two. “Um, you should stop smoking. Smoking’s bad.”

 

Not giving the teens time to respond, Katniss took off down the alley, hoping that she’d be able to find Madge in time. Reaching into the waistband of her pants, she pulled out a slim carefully carved shaft of wood.

 

A wooden stake.

 

From behind one of the dumpsters, she heard a female scream.

 

Madge!

 

Breaking into a run, Katniss sprinted to where she heard her friend’s cry. The boy’s back was to her and she was unable to see his face, but she could see Madge’s. The girl was terrified, her eyes wide and her mouth open in an O of shock.

 

“Hey, dude, don’t you know that poets shirts are so last season?”

 

“Go away,” the boy growled, not bothering to turn around.

 

Katniss shook her head, her eyes never leaving the boy. “Nah, I think I’ll stay right here and offer more fashion commentary.”

 

“Leave,” he growled out, turning to bare his fangs at the Slayer.

 

Vampire!

 

That was all the confirmation Katniss needed. Taking careful aim, Katniss hurled the stake at the demon’s unprotected back. It struck true. The vampire stared at her in shock for a second before bursting into a cloud of dust.

 

Katniss ran forward. “Madge, Madge! Are you okay?”

 

“He… oh my God.” Her eyes rolled back into her head. Katniss darted forward, catching her friend before she could fall to the ground.

 

“Crap,” Katniss swore, looking around to see if anyone else had witnessed the vampire’s demise.

 

She didn’t see anyone. But that didn’t mean that she was alone.

 

Behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone clapping.

 

Carefully setting Madge on the ground, Katniss whirled to confront the interloper.

 

The man, a well-muscled stocky blond haired male, maybe a few inches taller than her and a few years older, walked into the light. He was pale but not unnaturally so, with a faint scar cutting through his left eyebrow. “That was some show. Incredible aim.”

 

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice hard.

 

“A friend.” The man smiled at her.

 

“I don’t do friends.”

 

The smiled widened. “I never said I was yours.” He paused, his tone becoming more serious. “You need to be more careful.”

 

“Really.”

 

“Yeah. Reaping’s coming soon,” he continued, ignoring her sarcasm. “You’re not ready.”

 

“It would help if I knew what the Reaping was.”

 

“Ask your Watcher.”

 

She started. “What do you know about that?”

 

“I know a lot of things,” he answered. “I know the effect you have on people. Like tonight in the club. You could be great, you know.”

 

“I’d settle for not dead.”

 

“Lofty goal.”

 

“I say again, who the hell are you?” her tone didn’t brook any argument.

 

“A fan.” Once again he told her nothing. “I liked your song. Old-fashioned, but nice.”

 

“What?” she stared at him, uncertain that she’d heard him right.

 

“Catch you later. Slayer.” The blond man faded into the darkness, whistling the song she’d just sung, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’

 

**oOo**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:  
> Written: 6/3/15  
> Revised: 6/5/15
> 
> We’re setting this in the same time period as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is the late 90s, early 2000s. The reason is for this is so many of Buffy’s plots could be solved by the widespread use of cell phones, or more so, smartphones. The two of us lived through the late 90s, early 2000s, and we’re old enough to remember them with clarity. 
> 
> For the most part, this story is going to be in third person limited omniscient perspective with Katniss as our POV character. However, any scene that does not include Katniss or wouldn’t make sense to have Katniss be the POV character (such as the one in the library) will be written from a strict third person limited perspective, like a camera was filming the scene. We realized partway through this chapter that trying to keep it strictly third person limited was going to cause this story to become unwieldy and boring as hell to read while changing POV with each scene was going to make the story super confusing. What makes exciting television does not make exciting reading and head-hopping is bad, y’all.
> 
> As we mentioned before, there are going to be some changes to Buffy canon and not everyone has a strict Hunger Games -- Buffy counterpart. Katniss is still Katniss, with some Buffy flavoring. Mr. Everdeen and Haymitch are splitting the Giles role but will be taking on aspects of other Buffy characters. We didn’t want to just rehash Buffy. That wouldn’t be any fun. Expect more changes, but we’re going to try to keep true to the Buffy flavor.
> 
> We hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Up Next: Part Three -- Cheerleading and Slaying are Unmixy Things
> 
> Let us know what you think!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Episode One - Part Three - Cheerleading and Slaying are Unmixy Things

**oOo**

 

Katniss slept fitfully, her dreams haunted by mysterious strangers and not-strangers speaking to her cryptically. The visions kept whispering about the Reaping that the blond man had mentioned. The blond man haunted her dreams as well. But in a good way, a sexy John Stamos way, rather than creepy John Waters or John Carpenter ways.

 

Most disturbingly, Katniss’s former watcher, Wiress, appeared in all of them. She kept looking at Katniss sadly and, in that almost childlike voice of hers, kept chanting, “Tick Tock, Tick Tock.”

 

Unable to bear it anymore, Katniss cried out in her dream, “Tick Tock what?”

 

If anything, Wiress looked even more sad. “Big things are coming, little girl.” She reached out and smoothed a wisp of hair away from Katniss’s face. “Can’t be all prim and proper. Gotta know your place. Gotta know your time.” She paused, regarding her sadly. “Flowers can’t be trusted. Lead you to places you shouldn’t go. Trust your heart. Your heart knows what’s true. You’ve got so much love inside you. If only…” she trailed off.

 

“If only what?”

 

Wiress straightened up cocking her head like a dog hearing an unusual sound. Rising to her feet, she chanted, “Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.” She backed away from the dreaming Slayer. “Be seeing you. Be seeing you, Katniss. Take care of yourself. Tick Tock!”

 

Katniss’s eyes snapped open, taking in the sloped ceiling of her bedroom and the stack of boxes piled up in the corner. Rolling over, she muttered to herself, “I hate those things!”

 

**oOo**

 

The next day at school was a special kind of hell reserved for socially awkward teenagers and Slayers attempting to avoid uncomfortable explanations. The kind of hell where you feel everyone’s eyes watching you, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

 

Katniss thought she’d be safe in biology. But apparently she underestimated Madge’s ability to speak coherently after a near vamp experience, because Gale kept staring at her intently. Any other time, or any other male, and Katniss would’ve suspected that the guy had a crush on her. But in Gale’s case, that seemed unlikely. Turning towards the front of the class, she resolutely ignored the handsome boy.

 

As soon as the passing bell rang, Katniss was out of her seat like a shot. She needed to get to Miss Trinket before any uncomfortable questions were raised.

 

Putting on a miserable face that wasn’t entirely faked, Katniss trudged up to the teacher’s desk. “Miss Trinket, can I talk to you for a sec?”

 

The blonde woman with streaks of pink and orange in her hair looked up from her computer. “Katniss! Of course.”

 

“Um, I… I think I’m gonna go down to the school nurse? I’ve got these, well, you know,” she clutched at her stomach dramatically. “And I don’t know what it was, maybe something in biology, but I just got this killer headache on top of it. I think I need to go to the nurse’s office and lie down.”

 

The teacher eyed her sympathetically. “Oh you poor dear. Yes, absolutely, take care of yourself. Don’t worry about a thing.” Miss Trinket’s voice changed, becoming just a tiny bit harder. “You can always stop in after school sometime and catch up with what you missed. You don’t want to get too far behind.”

 

“No, of course not, Miss Trinket,” Katniss managed to get out without groaning at the thought of having to muddle through computers after school. “I’ll be going now.”

 

Katniss took off, noting that both Madge and Delly had entered the classroom and were waving at her. She waved back at them before darting out the door and down the hall.

 

Yes, she’d definitely made the right call. No questions were good questions.

 

But instead of going to the nurse’s office like she’d told Miss Trinket, Katniss slipped into the library. A cursory glance told her that no other students were visible and that her father was seated behind the counter, his nose in a book.

 

“We’ve got a problem, Dad,” she said without any preamble.

 

Placing a bookmark between the pages and closing the book, her father looked up at her. “What kind of a problem?”

 

“The truth is out there kind of problem,” she replied, referencing the X-Files.

 

“Are they Mulders or Scullys?” her father asked, concerned.

 

“Mulders. Definitely Mulders.”

 

“That’s a problem.”

 

Katniss sighed. “Tell me about it. And what’s worse, I’ve been having dreams.”

 

“Dreams? You know, like we need to have a talk dreams or,” his voice lowered and became more serious, “we need to have a talk dreams?”

 

“The second. And the first…” she admitted with a light blush. “But mostly the second.”

 

Mr. Everdeen let out a little sigh of relief. “That I can deal with. So lay it on me.”

 

“I saw Wiress, Dad,” Katniss started, sadness coloring her tone. “She kept saying Tick Tock, Tick Tock.”

 

“Did she give any indication as to why?” her dad asked gently.

 

She shrugged. “I’m guessing cause time’s running out?”

 

“Time to what?”

 

“Don’t know. I’m guessing it has something to do with the Reaping.”

 

“Reaping?” Her father asked. “What’s the Reaping?”

 

“I don’t know. Aren’t you supposed to be all with the books and smart like that?” She twirled the tip of her long braid around her finger.

 

Her father sighed. “Don’t do that, Katniss. You and I both know you’re more intelligent than you like to let on.”

 

The Slayer laughed, dropping the Valley Girl act. “But it’s always so much more fun to see people’s faces when they realize that you know the meaning of defenestrate and that it doesn’t mean cutting off a penis.”

 

“Katniss.”

 

“Yes, Daddy?”

 

“The dream.” He rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

 

“Right.” Her tone turned serious. “So the rest of the dream was the typical cryptic crap and I couldn’t really make heads or tails of it.”

 

“I suppose I can see what the books say, but really you should be talking to Haymitch about this,” he told her.

 

She shrugged, accepting the admonition. “Yeah, but he has class.”

 

“Yes. Speaking of, why aren’t you in class, young lady?”

 

“Madge,” she answered succinctly. “I don’t feel like answering questions about, you know. So I figured it was best to duck out for a day or two.”

 

“Right, good plan. If you need an excuse, let me know, I’ll be happy to provide.”

 

“Nah, I’m going with the old standby of cramps and a headache.”

 

“Well, I suppose that’ll do.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Let me know if more avoidance is necessary.”

 

“I think I got it handled,” she assured her father. “A few days of giving them the slip and I’m sure they’ll get the message that Katniss doesn’t want to talk about it.”

 

**oOo**

 

“So tell me again, sweetheart, just what did that weird guy say?”

 

Katniss sighed and looked at her father and Haymitch. “Well, first he complimented me on my aim, which, dude, coming up from behind somebody while clapping? Totally creepy. Then there was typical back and forth, blah blah blah, who are you, blah blah blah, cryptic answers. Then he said that I’m not ready and I asked about what, and he came back with ‘the Reaping.’ Then he started talking about, I don’t know, creepy stuff, and then he continued the whole creepy stalker vibe by complimenting me on the song I’d just sung, which let me tell you, so not doing that again, then he called me Slayer and disappeared.”

 

“Do you mean disappeared disappeared like a spell or melted back into the shadows?” Mr. Everdeen asked with interest.

 

She pointed at her father. “The second one.”

 

He sighed in disappointment. “So probably not a witch.”

 

“Yeah. No pointy hats or brooms to be seen on Mr. Cryptic.”

 

“Then what happened, sweetheart?”

 

Katniss shot a look at her Watcher. “Then I had to carry Madge back into the Arena and bypass the whole hey my new friend was almost eaten by a vampire line of questioning from Delly and Gale.” She turned back to her father. “Did you know that the owner of the Arena is a morphling?”

 

“What’s a morphling?” a bright female voice asked from behind them.

 

The three turned to see Gale, Delly, and Madge standing at the door to the library.

 

“Um, it’s a drug. A kind of drug that makes people really… friendly. Like morphine! Morphine, morphling?” Haymitch covered quickly.

 

“I was almost eaten by a vampire?” Madge followed up, ignoring Haymitch’s explanation entirely.

 

“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” Katniss said.

 

“What’s a Slayer?” Gale asked next.

 

Katniss winced. “You weren’t supposed to hear that either.”

 

“Yeah, well, too bad, we did. So spill,” Gale stated flatly.

 

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea, children,” Mr. Everdeen stepped in.

 

“Why not?” Gale glared at the librarian. “And how come she can hear it?”

 

Mr. Everdeen struggled for an answer. “That’s… complicated.”

 

“Are you okay, Katniss?” Delly asked, her voice full of concern. “Does this have to do with you skipping class earlier. Is this an intervention?”

 

“It’s not an intervention, Delly,” Katniss said with a sigh.

 

“Well good! And even if it was, we could help, right? We’re friends!” Delly’s eyes seemed so earnest.

 

Katniss hated having to crush her, but she knew her duty. Slayers worked alone, family and friends were to be kept in the dark. It was safer that way. “Uh yeah, no, I don’t think so.”

 

“You know I heard you talking yesterday. About vampires, and they called you the Slayer? And I’m pretty sure that doesn’t mean you’re a member of the band,” Gale said.

 

“Yeah, not enough tattoos or facial hair for the band,” Delly put in.

 

The three shared a look, trying desperately to come up with an explanation.

 

“You know, we could try telling them the truth,” Haymitch said, rubbing at his face.

 

“The Council recommends against it,” Mr. Everdeen pointed out.

 

“And you’re going to do everything the Council tells you to?” Haymitch asked pointedly.

 

Mr. Everdeen flinched and didn’t respond.

 

“Go on, sweetheart. Tell your friends the truth.” He turned to the three teens. “But fair warning, you break my girl’s heart and what happens next will make lap day look like a pleasant memory.”

 

“Can you do the intro?” Katniss asked her father. “It sounds so much better coming from you. It’s the voice.”

 

Mr. Everdeen sighed, cleared his throat, and his speech took on a more narrator tone. “Into every generation, a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world; a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose again. “Happy?”

 

Katniss nodded. “Thanks, Dad. It’s a little inaccurate, but it hits the high points.”

 

The three teens stared at her blankly.

 

“So! Questions?” Haymitch asked with a belch.

 

Madge slowly raised her hand. “Yeah. Is this for real?”

 

**oOo**

 

The mansion on the outskirts of town didn’t look haunted, but everyone in Panem knew that it was. Many kids would dare their friends to sneak up the weathered concrete path and knock at the door. Most of the time, no one answered.

 

But rumor had it that one time, someone had.

 

The mansion was owned by the Snow family, a well-known and well-regarded name in Panem. But there hadn’t been any Snows in town since before the turn of the century, around the same time that the current mayor’s great-great-grandmother, Eleanor Coin, first took office. If the Snows were the first family and founders of Panem, then the Coins were its most prestigious. Naturally, history had it, they hated each other.

 

But history was the furthest thing in mind for a young couple standing at the walkway leading to the mansion.

 

“I don’t want to go up there,” the girl said, her lightly freckled nose wrinkling. “Let’s go someplace… lighter. Like the Arena!”

 

“The Arena’s for babies,” a young man wearing a varsity jacket from Panem High scoffed.

 

“Well, I hear this place is haunted,” the girl pouted. “I don’t like ghosts. They’re scary.”

 

The teenager slipped his arm around the girl. “Don’t worry, Clove. I’ll keep you safe.”

 

“I just don’t know why you brought up this place when I suggested we go someplace romantic,” Clove grumbled against his chest.  

 

“You said you wanted to see the place that has the best roses in Panem. This place is it. Just look at those rose bushes.” He motioned to the poorly maintained mansion’s facade. “The house may be falling apart, but someone’s been taking care of these roses. Come on, let’s go inside. Let’s see if old Mr. Snow’s feathered bed is in as good condition as his rose garden.”

 

“Okay…”

 

The two carefully tiptoed up the walkway, alert for any problems. The boy reached out and picked a large white rose, handing it with flair to Clove. “For you, my lady.”

 

“Why thank you, good sir.” She tucked the rose behind one ear. “Should we knock?” she asked.

 

The boy shook his head. “No one lives here. Unless you’re afraid of disturbing the dead.”

 

“It’s not the dead I’m worried about.”

 

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” He grinned at her.   He opened the door and stepped inside. He looked around, noting the dust and cobweb filled interior. “Come on.” He motioned to his date.

 

Clove followed him inside, her eyes no longer playful, but instead predatory. When her date reached the center of the room, she carefully shut the door behind her.

 

From out of the shadows cast by the grand staircase a husky mountain of a man with broad shoulders appeared. “I see you’ve brought dinner.”

 

“I thought Master Snow could use a snack,” she replied.

 

The boy whirled, his eyes widening when he saw his date. The vampire’s human mask had slid away, revealing the demon underneath.

 

“What did you expect, Ford?” Clove asked mockingly. “I expect better manners from my dates. Barging into someone’s house uninvited. I guess you’ll just have to pay the penalty.”

 

“But no one has lived here in over a century!”

 

“Well, you’re half right. There’s nobody alive here.” Her yellow eyes gleamed. “Except you.”

 

The boy panicked, trying to run, but the front door was blocked by Clove and the hallway on the other side was unreachable because of the hulking blond man. The obvious escape route was the stairs, which any 90s kid with a smidgen of horror movie knowledge knew was a no-go. That only left the large French double doors leading out to a walled garden.

 

He dashed to the doors, pulling them open, moderately surprised that they were unlocked, and fled into the garden. There he paused for a quick moment to get a feel for his surroundings. The brick walls were over seven feet tall and topped with sharp wrought iron stakes, too high and too dangerous to attempt to scale. There wasn’t a gate or door in view. But the garden continued past the side of the house and around back. He followed the path.

 

Rounding the edge of the house, he noticed an immaculately dressed, if a tad old-fashioned looking, elderly man kneeling by one of the rose bushes. “Help,” he cried. “You gotta help me!”

 

The old man flowed to his feet. “What seems to be the matter, dear boy?” The old man’s reptilian green eyes glittered in the darkness.

 

Ford motioned frantically to the mansion. “There are these freaks inside! Some weird-ass demon chick and a freaky blond dude!”

 

“I don’t believe it’s polite to refer to your betters as freaks.”

 

“What?” The teenager gaped at the old man.

 

“Is he disturbing you, Master?” Clove asked from behind her date.

 

“No, my dear child. We were just having a pleasant conversation.”

 

Stumbling away from the man, Ford cried, “You guys are freaks!”

 

The old man’s eyes became hard and his voice deadly. “I believe I asked you to not refer to us by that term.”

 

“What the hell is wrong with you freaks?” Ford continued, clearly not hearing the warning. “What are you?”

 

“Out of patience.” The old man’s face morphed as he lunged forward, ripping the teen’s throat out, splattering blood all over the garden. The old man drank the spurting red liquid down greedily. When he’d had his fill, he took a step back, letting the body fall to the ground with a thump. Pulling out a handkerchief, he dabbed at his mouth and chin. “Thank you for the snack, my dear. Apparently, I was feeling quite peckish.”

 

Clove curtseyed gracefully. “My pleasure, Master.” She toed the dead boy’s body with disgust. “What should we do with the trash?”

 

“Bury him out front, underneath the pink tea rose,” her master instructed. “You know the one. It’s been drooping lately. I’m sure it will feel better after it has some fertilizer.”

 

“Of course, Master.”

 

“Oh, and send Cato to me.”

 

The hulking vampire materialized out of the darkness. “I am here, Grandfather.”

 

“Cato, my beloved childe,” Snow greeted, motioning for the younger vampire to come over. Cato quickly obeyed, dropping to his knees in obeisance.   “How go our plans for the Reaping?”

 

Bowing his head, Cato replied, “On the night of the seventh moon, you shall once again walk free.”

 

“Yes, yes, yes,” Snow said, waving a hand. “I’ve heard that before. I like particulars. Specifics.”

 

“Clove and I have chosen a location which would suit our needs perfectly. There’s one minor obstacle, but I’m working on it.”

 

“Good.   And my army?”

 

“Ready to move when you give the word.”

 

“Excellent,” he praised his grandson. “Although I’m still a bit concerned about numbers. You know what Sun Tzu always said: he will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. But I’ve always preferred to have superior forces.”

 

Cato banged his fist against his chest in an ancient salute. “By your command, Grandfather.”

**oOo**

 

Katniss walked home from cheerleading tryouts, completely unaware of her surroundings, her attention focused on the events of that afternoon. She’d known that Cressida and her cronies disliked Delly and were jealous of the girl, but she hadn’t realized the depth of their disdain. The poor girl was humiliated repeatedly by the clique and they forced her to do things no teenage cheerleader had any business attempting.

 

Delly, being Delly, tried her best, but no one can do a roundoff back handspring combo without practice.

 

Katniss was just glad Haymitch put a stop to the bullying before Delly got seriously injured. The girl had a sprained wrist from when she fell attempting an impossible stunt, but it would heal.

 

Unfortunately for the blond girl, the bullies used her injury as an excuse to keep her off the team. Katniss almost rejected their offer in solidarity, but Delly stopped her. “I’m glad at least one of us got on the team,” she said, smiling brightly.

 

Katniss looked at her and then at Cressida’s group. “Are you sure?”

 

“Sure I’m sure! It’s not like I don’t have other things I can do. Besides, it’ll be a nice break from…” she looked around furtively, then whispered, “you know what.”

 

“Yeah, yeah it will be,” Katniss agreed. It’s why she’d wanted to go out for cheerleading in the first place, to get away from slaying. She just hoped there wasn’t a repeat of Hemery High’s championship basketball game. That would be awkward.

 

“You don’t have time for this,” a male voice said, startling Katniss out of her thoughts.

 

“Who said that?” Katniss demanded, instantly on the defensive.

 

The same blond man from the Arena two nights ago stepped into the light. “I said, you don’t have time for this. You’re the Slayer, not some cheerleader.”

 

“I can do both,” she snapped.

 

“No. You can’t,” the man said, shaking his head. “It’s a distraction, and if this little bit of teenage drama can distract you so much that you don’t even notice when somebody’s following you and you pass your house, it’s too much of a distraction.”

 

Katniss’s eyes widened. “How do you know where I live?”

 

As she half expected, the cryptic man sidestepped her question. “It’s not me you have to worry about. I won’t do anything to hurt you, Katniss. But it won’t be me who you’ll face at the Reaping.”

 

“There’s that term again,” she sighed, exasperated with the whole mysterious helpful stranger act. “What’s the Reaping?”

 

“You’ll find out on Friday.”

 

“What happens Friday?”

 

“You’ll see.” He melted back into the shadows.

 

“Great. I’m getting more cryptic advice from creepy hot dudes,” she muttered under her breath.

 

“Katniss? That you?” her sister Primrose’s voice asked from the front door.

 

Looking away from where her mysterious fan had disappeared, Katniss turned to see her sister. “Yeah, it’s me, Little Duck.”

 

Prim frowned, taking a step out onto the front porch, heedless of the fact that she was wearing her Kermit pajamas. “You okay?”

 

“I’m fine. Go back inside. You know how Mom and Dad feel when you’re out after dark.”

 

“I’m fourteen, I’m not a baby anymore! I’m only a year younger than you!”

 

“You’re still my little sister,” Katniss said, coming up beside her and placing a protective arm around the younger girl. “Come on, you can help me practice my cheers.”

 

**oOo**

 

The following day during lunch, Katniss entered the library with Haymitch. “So what’s the word, Daddy-o?”

 

Mr. Everdeen rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t call me that.”

 

“Fine. Dad,” she said, stressing the word, “what have you found out?”

 

“Unfortunately, very little.” He sighed. “There seem to be several events that go by that moniker. And depending on the translation, the Reaping could mean anything from a harvest to mass slaughter.”

 

“Pretty sure you can bet on the last one there, Rick.”

 

Mr. Everdeen glared at the blond Watcher. “Yes, but the ancients were known for their unique descriptors and one really can’t rule out one definition because it doesn’t fit one’s preconception.”

 

The two men locked eyes for a moment, clearly having a minor battle of wills.

 

Haymitch, ultimately, was the one who looked away. “Multiple meanings it is. So anything look promising based on the date?”

 

Mr. Everdeen shook his head. “No, there’s the usual gloom and doom associated with autumn. There’s the feast of St. Titus coming up, but I doubt that’s the Reaping, since I haven’t heard any word of the Sisterhood of the Jhe making an appearance in Panem.”

 

“Would we?” Katniss asked.

 

“Oh yes,” her father told her, warming to the subject. “They don’t conceal their presence. They celebrate their kills openly by consuming the flesh of their defeated foes, and the feast of St. Titus is one of their most sacred holidays.”

 

“Right. So no cannibal women. Got it.”

 

“Hey Katniss!” Delly said, sticking her head in. “You doing anything for lunch?”

 

“No, not really,” Katniss answered, looking at the stack of books spread out on the various tables and counters. “I’ve got stuff to do here.”

 

“Can we help?” Delly asked, stepping into the room along with Gale and Madge. “I’m really good with the books, you know. So’s Madge.”

 

“I’m not,” Gale said.

 

Delly whirled on her boyfriend. “Yes you are! You’re just saying that!”

 

The tall boy sighed. “Fine. I’ll help too.”

 

“Can you read Ancient Sumerian?” Mr. Everdeen asked.

 

Gale gave him a look. “No…”

 

“Hieroglyphics?”

 

“No.”

 

“Cuneiform?”

 

“Try asking us a language that hasn’t been dead for thousands of years,” Gale snapped, clearly fed up with the whole process.

 

Mr. Everdeen rubbed the bridge of his nose again. “I don’t suppose any of you know Hebrew.”

 

“Ooh, me!” Madge exclaimed, holding up a hand. “My dad sent me to Hebrew School for nine years.”

 

“Then you can go check out that stack.” He pointed to one table.

 

“I can read Latin,” Delly offered.

 

“You can?” Gale asked, looking at his girlfriend.

 

“Yeah, I kinda taught myself,” she answered, blushing a little. “I wanted to read Ovid’s poetry in the original.”

 

“That’s my brainy girl,” Gale said, kissing Delly’s forehead. “I guess that leaves me to go pick up pizza. Unless you need someone to figure out the azimuth or angle of approach for something, I’m pretty much gonna be snack guy.”

 

“A very important role,” Madge said encouragingly.

 

“Any requests?” Gale asked the room.

 

“Nah, I’m good,” Haymitch said. “Havin’ a liquid lunch.” He held up his flask.

 

“Anyone else?”

 

“Anything’s fine,” Katniss said. “Food’s food.”

 

“Olives and anchovies it is,” Gale decided, a teasing tone in his voice.

 

She shrugged. “Okay.”

 

Gale pouted for a bit. “You’re no fun.”

 

Katniss just shrugged again.

 

With Gale getting lunch, the rest of the group sat down to work. Katniss started looking at town maps with a ley line guide next to her while the rest of the group delved into the books.

 

“Knock knock!”

 

Everyone looked up to see the computer teacher, Effie Trinket, standing in the library foyer.

 

She glanced around at the research chaos with wide eyes. “Um, am I interrupting anything?”

 

“Kinda, princess,” Haymitch told her, leaning back on the legs of his chair. “What d’you want?”

 

“I was looking for Katniss here,” she answered, turning to meet the Slayer’s eyes. “I need to steal you for a bit.”

 

“To do what?” Katniss asked.

 

“Oh, nothing bad,” Miss Trinket answered quickly. “Just want to make sure that you’re all caught up. You are quite behind, you know. And we wouldn’t want your grades to suffer.”

 

Knowing that she couldn’t escape this time, Katniss got up out of her seat. “No, we wouldn’t want that. How long do you think this will take?”

 

“What are you doing after school?” the woman asked seriously.

 

Katniss groaned.

 

**oOo**

 

The sun was setting when Katniss reentered the library. “You guys are still here?” she asked, noting that the research chaos had morphed into a research disaster.

 

“Yeah,” Madge answered, morosely. “And we’re out of pizza.”

 

“Did you find anything?” the Slayer asked, hoping that the search was over.

 

“Define anything,” Gale picked up the conversation. “There’s a ton of crap on various random events with titles like the Reaping and the Gathering and the Harvest and the Culling. It’s a little surprising how many farm metaphors there are in magic.”

 

Her heart sinking, Katniss asked, “But we’re making progress, right?”

 

“There’s a few promising options,” her father said. “It would help if we knew just when this Reaping was going to occur.”

 

“Um, I’m guessing soon?” Katniss asked. “Oh yeah, that mysterious hot guy! He said Friday. Try Friday.”

 

“That would’ve helped if you’d told us earlier,” Haymitch grumbled.

 

“Sorry,” Katniss apologized. “I get forgetful when I’m hungry.”

 

“Oh, that’s right! You didn’t eat lunch! What happened to that pizza you got her?” Delly asked Gale.

 

“Coach Abernathy ate it,” Gale stated.

 

Katniss glared at her Watcher. “Haymitch…”

 

“What?” He looked over at her innocently. “I was hungry and it was getting cold.”

 

Katniss sighed. “Anybody have a granola bar?”

 

“Ooh, I’ve got an idea!” Delly exclaimed, clapping her hands happily. “Mellark’s should be open now. I’ll run there and pick up something.” Madge and Gale straightened up, looking more alive. But Katniss was just confused. It must have showed on her face, because Delly continued, “They’ve got cheese buns to die for, and they’ve got these special kinds of bread that are stuffed with all sorts of interesting things, like curry or chocolate or even lamb stew!”

 

The thought of lamb stew decided Katniss. “Sounds delicious. I’ll take twelve.”

 

“Really?” Delly asked, her eyes wide.

 

Katniss shook her head. “No, no, more like three of the lamb stew.”

 

The cheerful girl turned to the rest of the group. “Anyone else want anything?”

 

“You know what I like, babe,” Gale answered.

 

“One slice of cheesecake it is.”

 

“Um, can you see if they have those funny shaped donuts?” Madge asked.

 

“Crullers?”

 

“Yeah. One of those.”

 

“Anyone else?” Delly looked at Mr. Everdeen and Haymitch.

 

Haymitch smirked at Katniss. “I’ll eat whatever frownyface here doesn’t.”

 

Katniss glared back. “Make that four,” she told the girl. “Dad?”

 

“Um, add two more.” He held out a twenty. “That should cover me and Katniss.”

 

Haymitch fished out another twenty. “And that should cover me for lunch too.”

 

“I’ll be back in a jiff,” Delly said, taking the money. “Well, maybe not a jiff. It depends on if there’s a line.”

 

“Come back soon,” Gale said. “You know I’m no good without you.”

 

**oOo**

 

Mellark’s was a cheerful business located on Panem’s main street. When the shop opened every day at five, there was often a line of people queueing down the street to get first dibs at the bakery’s offerings.

 

It was an unusual shop, with only a few tables for patrons. Most of the store was taken up by a huge counter and several shelves stocked with baked goods.

 

Another unique thing about Mellark’s was the exquisite artwork which decorated the bakery’s walls. It spanned the generations, ranging from baroque to impressionism to art nouveau and even modern. All of the paintings were unsigned, which was a bit unusual. That didn’t stop some people from trying to acquire them, but when asked the owner would state that they weren’t for sale.

 

Also, unlike most bakeries, it wasn’t open during the day. The shop opened at five in the evening and closed at seven in the morning. The cops loved it, as did UC Panem’s student population. The rest of the town scratched their heads in confusion, but didn’t ask too many questions because no one wanted to lose the tasty cheese bun goodness.

 

The shop’s regular staff was small. An old woman and her adult granddaughter with Down syndrome made up the core of the regular staff. The owner was rarely seen by most customers. But he made an appearance sometimes when they were especially short staffed. Many regulars, especially young women, thought that was a bit of a shame since he was considered by many to be quite good-looking, if young to own such a profitable business. There was also a rotating group of part-time workers, mostly made up of college and high school students, who rounded out the rest of the staff.

 

By the time Delly got there, the first run was mostly over, although there was still a bit of a wait to get to the counter. For once, the owner of the shop, Peeta Mellark, was manning the counter. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt which clung to his arms and chest, showing off his muscles. His dark blond hair was brushed a bit haphazardly, falling into his eyes, but not totally obscuring them or the scar that crossed his left eyebrow.

 

“Hey, Mr. Mellark!” the girl greeted when it was her turn in line.

 

The man smiled warmly at her. “Hi, Delly.”

 

She beamed at him for remembering her name. “How’s business going?”

 

“Busy,” he answered. “Had to hire another person to help out. A classmate of yours, Thresh Osbourne.”

 

“Oh Thresh! I know Thresh. He’s nice.” She handed Peeta the list of what everybody wanted.

 

He eyed it, whistling at the contents. “So what’s going on tonight? Why the big order?”

 

“Oh, me and a bunch of friends are hanging out at the school library, studying,” she answered brightly.

 

“Studying what?” The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, although his smile never faded.

 

“More like what aren’t we studying?” Delly deflected. “But anyways, we were just hungry, and your cheese buns are the best.”

 

“Thanks. It’s an old family recipe.” Peeta finished the order by slipping a painted iced cookie into the bag when Delly wasn’t looking. The blond haired girl waved cheerfully as she left the shop.

 

Peeta waved back, but as soon as she left, the man removed his apron and headed for the back room, a determined expression on his face.

 

The sun had fully set as Delly approached the high school. Delly walked quickly, the previously safe streets of Panem suddenly seeming a lot more ominous now that she knew about the unseen dangers that lurked there. The front doors of the school were a welcome sight.

 

But they were quickly blocked by a hulking blond man with a cruel face. “Hello, little girl. Isn’t it past good girls like you’s bedtime?”

 

“My friends are waiting for me,” she said to the mountain of a man, trying to sidestep him.

 

“They’re going to have to keep waiting,” he replied, grabbing her forcefully and pulling her to him, covering her mouth with one big hand.

 

The bag of baked goods she held fell to the ground, spilling its contents all over the sidewalk.

 

**oOo**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:   
> Written: 6/5/15  
> Revised: 6/8/15
> 
> As a note: Katniss in this universe is not exactly the same as Katniss in canon. She hasn’t gone through her father’s death or her mother’s abandonment, she’s never starved, and she hasn’t had the Hunger Games hanging over her head… until now. Being a Slayer is the Hunger Games for her. Yes, she’s lost her Watcher, but it doesn’t have the same impact. So she’s going to get a bit more of Buffy due to the differing circumstances.
> 
> We hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Up Next: Part Four -- Revelations
> 
> Let us know what you think!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Episode One - Part Three - Revelations

**oOo**

 

Katniss looked up from the map of Panem, her stomach growling. “Where’s Delly?” She was about ready to gnaw her arm off and it felt like the girl’d been gone for ages.

 

Looking up from his book on ritual synonyms, Gale glanced at his watch. “Even if Mellark’s is super busy, she should be back by now.” Closing his book, he stood up. “I’ll go look for her.”

 

Katniss narrowed her eyes, glancing out the library window. “No. It’s dark out. And my stomach’s doing the rumblies and not just in the I want to eat my left foot kind of way. I should be the one to go look for her.”

 

“I’m going with you.” Gale closed his book with an audible thump.

 

“No, you’re not,” Katniss stated, standing up.

 

Gale copied her. “Yes, I am. Delly’s my girlfriend,” he said like it explained everything.

 

“And I’m the Slayer,” Katniss said, emphasizing the last word. “You’d just be in the way.”

 

Gale clenched his fist, opening his mouth to say something.

 

Haymitch didn’t let him. “Listen to frownyface, boy. None of you’s ready to take on even a fledgling vampire.” He took a sip from his ever present flask. “Best to keep you out of the line of fire.”

 

“Then train me,” Gale said, his voice hard.

 

“Well, you’re good with a bow, I’ll give you that, what with winning the state championship last year,” he said, saluting Gale with his flask. “And your hand-eye coordination ain’t that bad.” He shrugs. “What the hell, it’ll give frownyface here someone to spar against other than me. Can’t say I was lookin’ forward to all them bruises.”

 

Katniss took a step forward. “You two can work out the details later. My stomach’s really doing the rumbly thing.”

 

“You sure that ain’t hunger, sweetheart?”

 

“No. It’s not hunger,” she said, shaking her head. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

 

Haymitch turned to Mr. Everdeen. “You showed her Star Wars?”

 

“What can I say? The force is strong in this one,” Mr. Everdeen replied with a smirk.

 

Haymitch groaned, covering his face with his hand. “I’m too old for this crap.”

 

“Don’t worry, Obi-Wan. I’ll be back before you know it.” Katniss grabbed a few stakes and a small silver dagger and stashed them in various places in her clothes. “Wish me luck!”

 

When she got outside, she started scanning the area. She knew from the map of Panem the general direction of Mellark’s and started heading that way. She didn’t make it that far.

 

Less than fifty feet from the school entrance, Katniss discovered the dropped bag of baked goods. She reached down and picked up one of the meat pies and broke it open. It was still faintly warm. Delly had to have been taken recently.

 

Narrowing her eyes, she opened up her senses, trying to catch any hint of where Delly might have gone. No fresh tire tracks meant it was unlikely she was taken by car. Besides, she smelled something else. Something floral.

  

It was faint, but it was there.

 

She started heading west, following the scent. She passed through the main town, noting that Mellark’s was still open and that there was a muscular dark-skinned young man working at the counter. She popped her head in. “Hey, you go to Panem, right?”

 

“Yeah,” the boy answered, looking up from the cash register.

 

“Did Delly Cartwright come in here a little while ago?”

 

The boy shook his head. “Musta been when the boss was covering my break.”

 

“Is the boss here?”

 

“Nah, he’s out.”

 

Katniss frowned. It would’ve been easier if she’d been able to ask the boss if he’d seen anybody following Delly or exactly when the girl had left. Just more bad luck.

 

Continuing to follow where her intuition guided her, she kept heading west until she was on the other side of town. The houses improved in both size and value the closer she got to the ocean. She felt a pull from the west, like something or someone was calling out to her. She hoped it was her Slayer’s intuition and not something more sinister.

 

As she walked, she kept scanning the area, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. A few houses from the coast, she felt a little tingle run up the back of her neck. Someone’s eyes were on her, watching her.

 

Carefully, so as not to arouse suspicion in who or what was behind her, she paused at one of the houses and made a motion to pull something out of her pocket, like she was checking an address. She glanced to her right, trying to act nonchalant.

 

“You know you’re a crap actress.”

 

She turned to her right to see the same mysterious blond man leaning up against one of the Victorian lampposts lining the street. “You!”

 

“Me.”

 

“Were you following me?”

 

He smirked at her. “Would I do that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You’re right, I would.” He pushed himself off of the lamppost. “You don’t want to go that way,” he told her, motioning toward the west.

 

“Why not?”

 

“You’re not ready.”

 

“Oh, ‘cause that is so helpful!” Katniss exclaimed, exasperated. “Can you be a little more cryptic?”

 

“Rosebud?”

 

“It was his sled.”

 

“Movie buff.”

 

“You’re one to talk,” she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Look. My friend’s gone missing. I just… I can’t go back.”

 

“You’ve got to go back.” There was something in his voice, something pleading.

 

“Why?”

 

“If you go any further, you’ll die,” he told her.

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“I know.”

 

Katniss had had enough. “Will you stop with the whole Mister Mysterious thing, Mr. Cryptic?”

 

“I prefer Peeta to Mr. Cryptic,” he told her.

 

“Fine. Will you stop with the whole Mister Mysterious thing, Peeta?”

 

“Do you promise to go home?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then I’m not gonna stop being mysterious.”

 

“Ugh!” She threw her hands up in the air, taking a step forward. “What is wrong with you?”

 

“That’s a very long story.” He pulled something out of his pocket. “Here. You’ll need this.” He tossed it at her.

 

Katniss caught the box out of reflex. “What is this?”

 

“Open it up and see.”

 

Shooting him an annoyed glare, she opened it up. Inside was a simple silver crucifix with a single black pearl mounted at the center of the cross. “It’s beautiful,” she said without thinking.

 

“Matches its owner.”

 

“I can’t accept this.” Katniss shook her head. “Thanks but no thanks. It’s a nice gift and all, but… I don’t need your help.” She held the box out to him.

 

The man refused to take it. “Yes. You do.”

 

“I’m not going back,” she said stubbornly.

 

Peeta sighed, straightening up. “Then I’m coming with you.”

 

The Slayer’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll be in my way.”

 

“I think you’ll find that I’m not the typical Panem resident,” he told her, smiling a bit self-consciously.

 

“I don’t want your help.”

 

“Too bad. You’ve got it.” He looked over at her. “We’re a team, right?”

 

Katniss groaned. “Fine. But stay out of my way.”

 

“You gonna put that on?” Peeta motioned to the box and the crucifix within.

 

“Will it get you off my back?”

 

“I won’t bug you about that anymore.”

 

“Then yeah, I’ll wear it. Help me put it on.” She thrust the necklace at him, pulling her long braid out of the way so he could fasten it around her neck.

 

His eyes widened and he took hold of the chain gingerly. “Turn around.” His voice sounding a bit strained.

 

She did as he requested. She felt him come up behind her, slipping the necklace around her neck, his fingers lightly caressing the wisps of hair around her neckline. She shivered.

 

“Sorry, my hands are cold,” Peeta apologized. “I’m a little nervous.”

 

“Sounds like you haven’t helped a girl with her jewelry before,” she flirted. Oh my God, she was flirting with him. Why was she flirting with him? Bad Slayer! No biscuit!

 

He snorted slightly. “Not like this.” He fiddled a little bit behind her. “There. I think it’s good.”

 

She gave the chain an experimental tug, it was secure. Getting ahold of herself, she got back to the business at hand. “So… I think we need to go that way.” Katniss motioned vaguely toward the west. “You got any suggestions, Mr. Cryptic?”

 

Peeta sighed. “I thought I asked you not to call me that.”

 

“And I thought I asked you to stop being so mysterious. Looks like neither of us gets what we want,” she told him. “Come on, stop looking at me like I kicked your puppy and let’s go.”

 

The two continued walking, Katniss glancing out of the corner of her eye at the blond man. He was good looking, but not in the drop dead gorgeous Gale Hawthorne kind of way. His shoulders were broad and the dark leather jacket he wore did nothing to hide the muscles in his arm. She wondered how he got them. Did he work out? He didn’t seem the type. She shook her head to clear it. First find Delly, then lust over the mysterious dude who smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg.

 

Glancing at her surroundings, she noted that the row of houses gave way to a large gothic cemetery. “What the hell’s a cemetery doing out here in prime real estate?”

 

“Come on, Katniss, don’t you know the dead deserve a view as much as the living?” His tone was light, teasing.

 

“Yeah, but… who’d want to have their house next to a creepy old cemetery?”

 

“I don’t know, in Victorian times they found it quaint,” Peeta told her.

 

“Like history much?”

 

“You could say I have a passing interest in history.” There was something in his tone. An emotion she just couldn’t place.

 

She looked at him oddly. “So… you stalk women often?”

 

Peeta laughed. “No.”

 

“So it’s just me.”

 

“It’s really just you.” He regarded her seriously. “It’s always been you.”

 

“And that’s not creepy.”

 

“Sorry,” he apologized, taking a deep breath. “I’m not really used to this.”

 

“Used to what?”

 

Peeta didn’t answer, his eyes widening as he looked past her into the cemetery. “Heads up!”

 

Katniss whirled to follow his gaze and saw five youths approaching. The rumbling in her stomach got worse and she knew it wasn’t hunger pains. She knew and hated that feeling.

 

“I’m so glad to see you out here!” the leader, a young woman with dark hair and freckles across her nose about Katniss’s height called out.

 

“Yeah, cause it’s totally not all suspicious-like for five people to be wandering out in a cemetery at night!” Katniss called back, slipping into a defensive stance.

 

The leader smirked at her. “Looks like the jig’s up.” The five youths’ faces morphed into vamp face.

 

“I hope you’re as good in a fight as you seem to think you are,” Katniss muttered to Peeta.

 

Peeta pulled out a stake from the waistband of his pants. “I hope so too.”

 

And then the group was upon them.

 

Three of the vampires surrounded Katniss, two males and a slender dangerous looking female, while the leader and another male vampire flanked Peeta.

 

Katniss was going to have to trust that her unwanted partner would be able to handle his opponents on his own. She was going to have her hands full with hers.

 

The dance began.

 

Katniss pulled out a stake from her waistband and hurled it at the nearest vampire, a dark-haired Hispanic-looking male. It struck true.

 

One fledgling down, two to go.

 

However, she only had two more stakes and she didn’t want to waste them. Wishing that it wouldn’t look weird to carry a bow everywhere, Katniss waded into the fray. Maybe she should go out for the archery team so she had an excuse to carry one with her, she thought to herself, striking out with one leg toward the female’s knee. The woman danced back out of reach, but that was what Katniss wanted.

 

It opened her up so that she could close quarters with the vampire she perceived as the next biggest threat, a well-muscled linebacker type   This vampire was slower than her, but strong. He lunged for her and Katniss was forced to roll out of the way.

 

She sprang to her feet to see both vampires converging on her at once. “Oh you’re not gonna follow the villain cliche and wait your turn? I guess we’ll have to do something about that.” She pulled out her other stake so she was now holding a stake in each hand and dashed forward. Whirling around the female, she slammed the stake in her left hand down through the woman’s ribcage, piercing her heart. Not bothering to watch the woman crumble into dust, she turned to take on the last remaining vampire.

 

The male whipped out with one arm, catching her on the cheek. Katniss reeled back, spitting blood. “Dude! Don’t you know it’s rude to hit a lady in the face?”

 

“I’ll do more than hit!” he hissed, baring his fangs at her.

 

“Sounds like someone needs to have some anger management training,” she quipped, remembering Wiress’s advice that insults and jokes could sometimes cause your opponent to lower their guard.

 

It worked. “What?” the male asked, pausing mid-charge.

 

Unable to keep the pleased smile that her gambit had worked off of her face, Katniss stepped gracefully to one side, her right arm slashing out, plunging the stake into his heart. The vampire looked down in shock and Katniss reached out, snatching the stake back. “Wouldn’t want to lose this one, it’s my favorite.”

 

The vampire looked at her in confusion before his body dissolved, floating away in the wind.

 

Katniss took a deep breath and turned to see how Peeta was doing. The blond man had somewhere along the line managed to dispatch the other male vampire and was now engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the leader.

 

The two were good, almost evenly matched. Except something seemed off.

 

Katniss narrowed her eyes, trying to place it. When she did, she was unable to stop herself from gasping.  

 

Peeta was holding back for some reason.

 

The vampire must have noticed it too because she said, “Awww, poor Peeta, can’t bring yourself to go all out against me, can you?” She smirked. “What’s wrong, lover boy? Can’t get it up?” The vampire struck out with a switchblade, slicing into Peeta’s right thigh.

 

Peeta cried out, clutching at his leg. Slashing out with his free hand, he knocked the knife out of the vampire’s hands. “Leave, Clove. I don’t want to hurt you,” Peeta hissed back in a low tone. One hand lashed out, swiping at the vampire’s neck.

 

The woman blocked it easily, like she was familiar with his fighting style. “Then you should have kept your nose out of it, Peeta darling. You know I won’t run away, lover boy. It’s not my style. I’ve got things to do, people to eat.”

 

Katniss shook her head. Her partner knew this Fatal Attraction wannabe?

 

Katniss had seen enough. The two were so focused on each other that it would be remiss of her not to take the opening. Stepping carefully, she lined up her spare stake. She wasn’t about to lose Mr. Pointy.

 

With one fluid motion, the stake spun through the air and impaled itself through Clove’s ribs.

 

Both combatants turned, their eyes wide in shock.

 

“You bi--” Clove turned to dust, falling to the earth.

 

Peeta followed the vampire’s descent, collapsing to his knees. He reached out towards the dust blowing away in the wind. “Clove?” Katniss thought she heard him say before he wrapped his arms around his body.

 

“Yo, creepy stalker! We should probably get you to a hospital, get that leg looked at.”

 

“Leave me alone.” His chest was heaving, even though he didn’t look up at her.

 

“That wound’s gotta need stitches,” she told him, taking several steps forward. “And I’m not good with the medical type stuff, that’s my mom.”

 

Peeta’s head jerked up, his handsome face distorted in the unmistakable features of a vampire. “I said leave me alone!”

 

Katniss gasped, recoiling back.

 

Without another word, Peeta sprang to his feet, running away.

 

Unable to process what her eyes were telling her, the Slayer gaped after him, her mind reeling.

 

**oOo**

 

Katniss staggered home, her thoughts whirling. Peeta was a vampire. He’d lied to her. No, if she was honest with herself, he’d gone out of his way to avoid lying to her. He’d given her a crucifix… Oh God... She’d given him access to her neck. What kind of Slayer allows a vampire easy access to her neck? It was like asking to be killed.

 

But he didn’t kill her.

 

What kind of vampire was he? What kind of vampire holds back from ripping into the Slayer’s throat? What kind of vampire gives a Slayer a crucifix anyway?

 

She knew Slayer blood was considered a delicacy by many of the undead and most of the fledglings she fought nattered on about drinking her dry. Well, until she dusted them.

 

She was confused. She didn’t like being confused. Puzzles and tricks were never her thing, she liked her vampires straightforward. Evil, demonic, and dusty.

 

She got home, walking in the front door and shutting it absently behind her.

 

“Katniss? Is that you?” she heard her father’s voice ask from the living room.

 

She looked over at her father, her face stricken.

 

Instantly, Mr. Everdeen was on his feet. “Oh, Katniss. What’s wrong? Is it Delly?”

 

She nodded her head, then shook it. “Daddy!” She threw herself into her father’s arms, wanting desperately for things to go back the way they were two days ago, when her life made sense and she actually had friends. “I couldn’t find her, Daddy. I lost the trail.”

 

“That’s alright, maybe she’ll turn up. Maybe she’s just being held hostage or, well, ran off.”

 

“Delly?” she asked incredulously.

 

“Okay. She didn’t run off.” He stroked her back soothingly. “But we’ll fix this, Katniss. It’s late. You should go to bed.”

 

She nodded her head. “Madge and Gale?”

 

“Haymitch and I took them home, made sure they got inside safely.”

 

“Good. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them. They’re my friends. If they still want to be my friends.”

 

“I think you’re being too hard on yourself, Katniss.”

 

Katniss pulled back from her father and looked up at him. “You think so?”

 

“I know so,” he said, smiling down at her. He lifted a hand and touched the crucifix. “Where’d you get that?”

 

“It was a gift.”

 

“Really? From who?” His voice was light, but his eyes were another story.

 

Shaking her head, Katniss said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“Ah. That kind of gift.”

 

Katniss shrugged, willing to let her father assume it came from a boy who had a crush on her, even if she knew the difference. “I just… I lost her trail, Dad. Got distracted. Got ambushed.”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

She nodded.

 

Mr. Everdeen let out a little sigh of relief. “I don’t know why I asked. Clearly you came out on top ‘cause you’re still here. But once a dad, always a dad…” He paused, pulling himself together. “We’ll do some more research tomorrow. Go to bed.” He flicked her gently on the nose. “Don’t want to get bags under those eyes.”

 

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, giving him another quick hug. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 

She trudged up the stairs and flopped down onto her ivy bedspread. What was she going to do? How could she tell Gale that she let herself be distracted by a hunky blond vampire with really great arms from her quest to find his missing girlfriend? Yeah, that’d go over well.

 

Idly, she fingered the crucifix around her neck. She wondered if it still worked, considering the source, but she recalled that Peeta had handled the piece of jewelry gingerly, careful to only touch the box or the chain, not the actual cross itself. The fact that he could handle the necklace at all told her something very important: he was old. Fledgling vampires recoiled from crosses, unable to even bear the sight of them. Only those vampires over a hundred years old seemed to have built up enough defenses to overcome their instincts.

 

There was a slight knock on the doorframe of the jack-and-jill bathroom she shared with her sister Prim. “Katniss? You okay?”

 

“I’m fine, Little Duck,” she replied automatically.

 

“You don’t sound fine.”

 

She sighed. “‘Cause I’m not.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Prim came over and lay down on her side on the bed next to Katniss, her voice filled with concern.

 

“I don’t know. Nothing. Everything.”

 

“Sounds like you’ve got boy problems.”

 

Katniss bit at her lower lip, a habit she hadn’t gotten around to breaking yet. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that. Boy problems, girl problems, school problems… I’ve just got problems.”

 

“You know I’m here if you need me.” Prim reached out and rubbed Katniss’s back gently. “You may be the world’s most annoying big sister, but you’re still my sister.”

 

“Thanks.” Katniss rolled over and tugged her sister close. “Thanks, Little Duck,” she whispered before bursting into tears.

 

**oOo**

 

The clock on her bedside table read 1:53 am. Katniss sighed, untangling herself from her sister’s arms and rolling off the bed. She hadn’t slept, not really. Some fitful dozing, but her mind was just too jumbled to sleep.

 

She carefully opened the door to her bedroom, still in her clothes from the day before, now decidedly more rumpled and dust-stained. She considered briefly changing into her yummy sushi pajamas before shaking her head. She needed to clear her head and maybe some fresh air would help.

 

She slipped downstairs, careful not to wake her parents, and out the door of the kitchen to the back porch. Sitting down on the wide painted wood step, Katniss stared up at the stars, wishing that someone out there would give her an answer.

 

“You okay?” a familiar voice asked out of the darkness.

 

Cursing internally, Katniss glared in the direction the voice came from. “Not you again.”

 

“Are you going to kill me?” he asked, not stepping into the light.

 

“I don’t know. Are you gonna kill me?” she countered.

 

He moved forward so that she could see him, his features etched with confusion. “Why would I go to all the trouble to keep you alive?”

 

“I don’t know, so you could kill me yourself?”

 

“That’s not how I work, Katniss,” he told her, shaking his head.

 

She was so confused and she hated feeling confused. It made her angry.   “How do you work then?” she demanded, gesticulating wildly. “You’re a vampire! I’m the Slayer! Doesn’t that make us mortal enemies?”

 

“Not for me.” He took a deep breath that she knew he didn’t need. “Never for me.”

 

“I don’t understand you, Peeta.”

 

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said, gently.

 

“What question?”

 

“Are you gonna kill me?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She shrugged. “I’m supposed to. You’re a soulless demon who likes to feed on the blood of innocents.”

 

“I don’t.”

 

“What? Feed on blood?”

 

“No. Feed on innocents.”

 

“So what do you eat?”

 

“Well there’s this butcher on the corner of Second and Elm that sells me beef and pig blood.”

 

She shuddered. “Sounds… appetizing.”

 

“It’s a bit like eating granola,” he told her. “Not the tastiest of meals, but it’ll keep you alive. It’s better than the alternative.”

 

“What? Being dead?”

 

“No. Killing someone.”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” she burst out. Why did he have to be so frustrating? She liked her life neatly organized with everyone and everything in their proper place and Peeta didn’t fit into any of the categories she had.

 

“Why doesn’t it make any sense?” he asked, his voice carefully light.

 

“You’re a vampire! Killing people is what you do.”

 

He chuckled. “I’m not your typical vampire.”

 

“I get that. Look, I’m not gonna kill you in the next five minutes, kay? So come over here so we don’t wake up the neighborhood.”

 

Peeta laughed, stepping closer to her. “Can I sit down?”

 

“I don’t know, can you?”

 

“Very mature, Katniss,” he told her, sitting down next to her on the stairs.

 

She glared at him. “What do you want? I’m fifteen, not however old you are.”

 

“I’m twenty one.”

 

Katniss tilted her head, giving him a look.

 

Peeta held up his hands. “I was turned at twenty one. Better?”

 

“Better. When?”

 

“A long time ago.”

 

“And you’re back to the vague,” she complained.

 

“I don’t know how not to be.” He shrugged slightly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone like you.”

 

Katniss decided to let it drop. “So what’s your big interest in me? And don’t give me any of your vague long story crap.”

 

He took another deep breath.   “Would it be creepy if I said I’ve been watching you for a while?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Figured,” he sighed. “It’s not really all that creepy, you see, a seer pointed you out to me. Said you’d be special, that you’d change the world.” He regarded her seriously. “That you’d change me.”

 

“So what makes you so special?”

 

Peeta closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “I’ve got a soul, Katniss.”

 

“No, you don’t. Vampires don’t have souls,” she told him, her voice firm. “Everyone knows that.”

 

“I do.”

 

“Oh really? Prove it.” She knew it was a childish comeback, but she couldn’t think of anything better to say.

 

He smiled at her gently. “What does your Slayer tell you?” Peeta asked, his eyes warm. “Your Slayer knows I’m not a threat. That I wouldn’t hurt you. I couldn’t hurt you.”

 

Katniss stared at him, realizing that every word coming out of his mouth was the truth. Most vampires couldn’t sneak up on her, but Peeta did, and only Peeta did. And then there was the incident with the necklace. Her Slayer didn’t stir when Peeta touched her neck. It was like she knew. It still wasn’t any less confusing. “Why me?”

 

“I told you, you’re special.” He took a breath. “And I like you, Katniss. I want to see you survive this. Survive all of this. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”

 

“I’m the Slayer, Peeta,” she said ruefully. “No one survives that.”

 

Peeta got up and looked down at her, shooting her a look she couldn’t decipher.   “Maybe you’ll be the first.”

 

**oOo**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:  
> Written: 6/7/15  
> Revised: 6/11/15
> 
> Peeta revealed his past a little faster here than Angel did. That’s because he’s not Angel… not fully. He’s got aspects of Angel, Spike, and himself. Also because we’re seriously condensing story arcs and merging them and mixing them and reordering all the things. Just because you know what happened in Buffy, doesn’t mean you’ll know what happens here. 
> 
> Up Next: Part Five -- The Reaping
> 
> Let us know what you think!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Episode One - Part Five - The Reaping

**oOo**

 

The next day at school, Katniss had to face the unwelcome duty of telling Gale and Madge of her failure to find Delly.

 

Gale took the news surprisingly well. Katniss half-expected him to explode in anger, but the tall boy just nodded his head sadly. “Not like there was much you could do. I guess being the Slayer doesn’t automatically make you some kind of bloodhound.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not even sure a bloodhound could’ve found Delly. It’s not like we’re out in the woods or a desert where you could follow the tracks easily. I guess it’s just a bit too much to ask for there to be some kind of magic spell to make everything better.”

 

Katniss bit her lip. She didn’t want to tell him that magic possibly could have found Delly, because she didn’t know of any magic users in the area. The last magic user she knew of, Wiress, had died several months ago. “I’m - I’m sorry,” Katniss said again, lamely.

 

“It’s okay. They could just be holding her hostage,” Gale offered, clearly trying to convince himself. “Maybe they need her for this Reaping thing. If we can find out the specifics, maybe we’ll be able to get her back.”

 

“Maybe,” Katniss said, trying to be cheerful for the sake of her friend. But internally, she knew the chances were pretty low. It was a lot more likely that Delly had been taken to be someone’s midnight snack rather than a guest of honor at whatever this Reaping was.

 

The next few hours of school were hell. Not only was Katniss having trouble staying awake in all of her classes, in fact Dr. Gregory had to wake her up partway through biology, but every time she looked at either Gale or Madge, she felt a stab of guilt for not being able to find Delly.

 

By the time lunch rolled around, Katniss was pretty much done. Staring at the haphazard pile of books spread around the library, Katniss let out a groan. “Still nothing?” she asked Haymitch and her father while Madge and Gale thumbed through a listing of all of the nearby farms to see if anything stood out.

 

“We’re narrowing it down,” her father said, looking up from the book on ancient Chumash ceremonies.

 

“Yeah, only twelve rituals to go through,” Haymitch said glumly.

 

Katniss nodded her head, twelve sounded like a more reasonable number than where they’d been at before. “Look, if I’m supposed to fight or do anything tonight, I’m gonna need to get out of here. I fell asleep in biology. Biology! It’s lucky we weren’t trying to dissect a frog or it would’ve been an amphibious disaster going on there.”

 

“Why don’t you go home?” her father suggested. “I can let the office know that you’re not feeling well.”

 

“Thanks.” She smiled at him gratefully.

 

He glanced at his watch. “Just come back here a little before sundown so that we can bring you up to speed on likely locations.”

 

“Are you gonna need us tonight?” Madge piped up.

 

Katniss looked at the slim girl candidly and told her, “Probably not.”

 

“Great,” she said brightly then flinched. “I didn’t mean it like that. If you need us, we’d be happy to help. It’s just that, um, Gale and I were thinking, we should probably head to the Arena. The three of us always went to the Arena on Friday nights for band night and I think, I think Delly would want us to be there. She always liked to support the little guys.”

 

Katniss forced herself not to wince.

 

Madge tried to put on a cheerful smile. “You can join us later, if you want.”

 

“Sure, sounds good,” Katniss answered, trying not to quash her friend’s hopes. “Most of these ritual things tend to take place at midnight or another significant time. I’ll probably have a few hours of downtime.” She motioned to Haymitch and her father. “Assuming these two knuckleheads can make some progress and figure out just where this thing is going down.”

 

Haymitch glared at his Slayer. “Keep callin’ us knuckleheads and I might have to take offense to that.”

 

“I’m so scared.”

 

“You should be, sweetheart. You should be.”

 

**oOo**

 

After sleeping for three hours, Katniss felt more prepared to face whatever was going to happen that night. Going to her closet, she dressed for battle while making sure she didn’t look like she was dressed for battle. She pulled on lightweight washable gray pants that she knew accented her legs. Some girls might wear skirts but Katniss wasn’t one of them. On top she wore a paler gray sweater that hugged her curves and didn’t ride up if she moved her arms. Over that, she pulled on a gray acid washed denim jacket, because even though it was California, it still got cold at night and denim added a small level of protection from road rash. Finally, sitting down on her bed, she laced up her well-broken-in steel toed Doc Martens. Nothing said ‘back off’ better than a swift kick to the head with a steel toed boot. She finished her outfit with a large carrying case for her bow with several stakes hidden in easy to access locations in her clothing. No way was she going out hunting unarmed and unprepared.

 

She walked down the stairs and into the front hall, waving at Prim, who was seated in the living room with the girl from the Arena who’d offered Katniss her karaoke turn.

 

“Where are you going?” Prim called.

 

“Out.”

 

“Where?”

 

“Just out.” Thinking about the Harvest and Delly’s disappearance, Katniss paused and looked back at her sister. “Look, do me a favor, Little Duck? Can you and your friend just… stay here tonight?”

 

Prim made a face. “But… we want to go to the Arena. Rue’s brother Thresh’s band, Don’t Fear the Reaping, is playing there tonight.”

 

“Please, Prim. Do it for me? Just this once.” She reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a twenty. “Here. Get a pizza. On me.”

 

“Bribery,” Prim said getting to her feet and coming over to Katniss. “I approve. Throw in the new Spice Girls CD and you’ve got a deal.”

 

The Slayer sighed. “Fine. I’ll get it for you this weekend.”

 

“Rue, how do you feel about ditching your brother’s concert and staying in and watching The Craft and Romeo + Juliet?” Prim asked, leaning back into the family room.

 

“Fine with me,” Rue replied. “The lead singer’s mean and doesn’t sing nearly as good as I can. Just so long as you make me a tape of your new Spice Girls CD, I’m in.”

 

“You get your wish, Katniss,” Prim said, swiping the twenty from Katniss’s hand. “Rue and me will stay in for the evening.”

 

“Thanks, Little Duck. Oh, and, whatever you do, don’t invite anyone in.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Katniss felt like an idiot. It was an old rule in the Everdeen house, never invite anyone in. A rule that suddenly made a lot more sense when Katniss found out she was the Slayer… and even more so, now that she knew her father was a Watcher.

 

Prim just gave her a look and Katniss escaped before she said anything else that she might regret.

 

The walk back to the high school was thankfully uneventful. As she walked into the library, she called out, “So… what have you two knuckleheads found out?”

 

“You’re gonna pay for that, sweetheart.”

 

“Later,” her father said, shooting the two of them an exasperated look. “Actually, our time was pretty productive. It appears as if the majority of events seem to culminate either at moonrise or just before the stroke of midnight, but there was one event mentioned in several books of recent prophecy which foretells the rising of the Master, an ancient vampire and founder of the house of Coriolanus. Apparently he was trapped here, in Panem, by a rival demon, and tonight is the first chance that his followers have to set him free. The Liputian Prophecies state that the Reaping requires the blood of five score humans while the Annals of Zican state that the Reaping must be performed by a surrogate, bound to the Master by blood. I assume that means a favored childe, so it is likely that the surrogate will be a vampire of some strength.”

 

“Great,” Katniss grumbled. “Just great. Any good news?”

 

Her father looked up at her. “Well, they probably kidnapped your friend to be one of the victims. If we can interrupt the ritual in time, we might be able to save her.”

 

“So point me where to start interrupting,” Katniss told him.

 

“That’s slightly more of a problem. Haymitch and I have narrowed it down to eight possible locations. We’ve circled them here.” He pulled out a map and slid it over to her.

 

Katniss scrutinized it carefully, noting the locations. “What are these three?” she asked, pointing at a tight cluster.

 

Haymitch squinted at the map. “Looks like a shrine to the Blessed Mother located on Overlook Cliff, the Nevada Cemetery, and the Church of the Twelve Apostles. Why’d ya ask?”

 

She circled the area with her finger. “Because it’s around here that I lost Delly’s trail.”

 

“I suppose that’s where we go first,” her father said. “It’s going to take several hours for one vampire to drain a hundred victims.”

 

“Why’d you circle the high school?” Katniss asked, looking at the other possible locations on the map.

 

“Looks like whatever city planner in their infinite wisdom decided that nothing screamed Hellmouth like a high school,” Haymitch snarked, taking a swig from his ever present flask.

 

“It does make some kind of poetic sense,” Katniss said.

 

He belched. “Tell me about it. Ain’t anything more miserable than a bunch of whiny ass teenagers.”

 

“I’ll go check these places out--”

 

“Not alone you won’t,” her father interrupted. “It’ll take you hours to make it to all eight locations. Chances are, if you did that, you might even miss the Reaping entirely.” He shook his head. “No. I’ll drive you.”

 

“What about Haymitch?”

 

“I’ll stay here and keep my eyes open,” her Watcher told her. “I’m a better fighter than your dad anyways. Just check back in on me every couple of hours, make sure I’m not dead. If I am, you’ll know you’ve found the place.” He took another swig from his flask.

 

Her father rolled his eyes at the other man. “Yes, I’m sure that would be very comforting.”

 

**oOo**

 

Don’t Fear the Reaping was an odd band. Made up of four students from Panem High School, they looked like a hodgepodge of rejects from other, more famous, bands. The drummer was straight out of Metallica while the bassist looked like he was channeling Lenny Kravitz, minus the dreadlocks. The lead guitarist seemed to be imitating David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days and the lead singer looked like a very young Stevie Nicks. Thankfully, their music was more harmonious than their look. They played an interesting mix of alternative and pop, mixed with the occasional classic cover. Don’t Fear the Reaping was a fairly popular local band and Caesar liked to book them because they didn’t cost all that much.

 

At their table, Madge and Gale were drinking peach sunsets in honor of Delly, although Gale was more stirring his than actually drinking it.

 

“Maybe she’ll turn up,” Madge said hopefully.

 

Gale gave his best friend a look. “You really think that?”

 

“No.” Madge shook her head sadly. “But… until we know for sure, I’m gonna try to stay positive. It’s what Delly would’ve wanted.”

 

“Yeah. I suppose.” He sighed. “I just… I just feel like I should be doing something! Not sitting here, drinking this frou-frou drink,” Gale said, glaring at the pink and orange concoction.

 

Up on stage, the band changed from an original composition to one of their more well-known covers, ‘Who Will Save Your Soul.’ The singer was not as good as Jewel and her voice got a little pitchy at times, but she was pretty enough and dressed in a flowing skirt and poet blouse, with her blond hair in two loose braids. She clearly had a contingent of devoted fans, most of them male, standing up by the front of the stage applauding her every half-hit note.

 

Partway through the second chorus of ‘Who Will Save Your Soul,’ answering the question posed by the song, a deep voice called out, “No one.”

 

The singer tried valiantly to keep going, ignoring the interruption.

 

Undaunted, Cato lunged forward in full vamp face, leaping up onstage, causing the singer and lead guitarist to take several steps back. “Sorry to interrupt such a lovely song performed by such a lovely band, but we’ve got a Reaping to perform.”

 

“Dude! Uncool!” the guitarist said. “Crashing our gig like this.”

 

“Yeah! That’s my best song too!” the singer added.

 

“Sorry, it’ll be your last. What’s your name, little girl?”

 

“Glimmer.”

 

“A pleasure, Glimmer.” He reached out, grabbing her, pulling her toward him. “You’ve got another gig tonight. How do you feel about the title of offering?”

 

“Like shit!” Glimmer lashed out, jamming the microphone into his nether regions.

 

Cato howled. “You’re going to pay for that!”

 

Glimmer leapt back, the lead guitarist flanking her, holding his guitar like a weapon.

 

Down amongst the crowd, Gale and Madge were on their feet, their eyes wide.

 

“Do you think we should do something?” Gale asked, clenching his fists.

 

“Like what?” Madge’s eyes kept flicking back and forth between the fight taking place on the stage and her best friend.

 

“I don’t know. Get out of here, go get Katniss?” he murmured.

 

Madge nodded her head. “There’s an exit in back, by the restrooms,” she supplied.

 

“I knew all that water drinking of yours would be good for something,” he muttered. “Let’s go before we get dead.”

 

The two slowly, so as not to attract any attention, made their way to the back of the club and freedom.

 

They had barely rounded the corner of the back hallway when a blond woman stepped out, blocking their way. “Now where do you think you’re going?” the woman asked in a cheerful tone. But it wasn’t just any woman. It was Delly.

 

“Delly! You’re alive!” Madge cried out happily.

 

Gale surged forward, taking his girlfriend in his arms. “Where have you been?” he cried into her hair. “I’ve been so worried!”

 

Delly returned the hug, then took a step back and looked up at him. “Oh baby, you didn’t need to worry your pretty little head about me.” Delly smiled, her face morphing into that of a vampire. “I was just fine.”

 

**oOo**

 

Katniss got back in the green Chevy Blazer. “Well, that was a bust. So where to next?”

 

“Your guess is as good as mine, I suppose,” her father said, looking at the steering wheel glumly. “Haymitch and I were so certain that one of these locations would be the place. They all have the correct mystical energies and are enough out of the way that no one would notice a hundred people being slaughtered.”

 

“So… what do you want to do now?”

 

“I suppose the only option we have is to wait and maybe around an hour and a half before midnight, we can check the sites again and possibly some new ones to see if maybe we’re just here too early,” Mr. Everdeen replied.

 

“More research,” Katniss groaned, leaning against the side of the car.

 

“You don’t have to join us, Katniss, I know research isn’t your strong suit,” he said fondly. “How about I drop you off at the Arena and you can have a couple hours of fun with your friends before slaying time?”

 

“Really?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her tone.

 

“You’re my daughter, Katniss,” he explained, warmth in his eyes. “Of course I want you to have friends and be happy. I’m not about to stop you from having a life just because you happen to be the Slayer.”

 

“Best. Watcher. Ever.”

 

Her father smiled. “I won’t tell Haymitch.”

 

They drove to the Arena, and at a red light down the street from the alley leading to the Arena, Katniss spoke up. “Why don’t you just let me out here? You’d end up going out of your way to actually get me to the door. I can just walk the last block.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she said, tucking a few stakes up her sleeves. She left her bow case on the floor, she wouldn’t need it for hanging out with her friends at the Arena. “I’m the Slayer. I can deal with a bunch of horny teenagers.”

 

“Sounds good,” he said, nodding his head. “Meet you here at 10:30 sharp.”

 

Katniss got out of the car and waved goodbye to her dad. She had about two hours to spend with Gale and Madge and she wanted to make the most of it.

 

Crossing the street, she noticed something a little weird. There was a distinct lack of people coming out of the alley that led to the Arena. People were heading in, but no one was coming out. She frowned, slowing her pace.

 

As she passed the doorway to one of the closed businesses, a hand reached out and pulled her in. She immediately elbowed her assailant in the gut, whirling, her hands raised defensively, ready to pull out a weapon. Her eyes widened when she saw her attacker and her stance relaxed slightly. “Oh. It’s you. Don’t you know better than to sneak up on innocent girls?”

 

Peeta shrugged, his face showing his concern. “Sorry about that, Katniss, but I didn’t want you walking into that alley unprepared.”

 

“Unprepared for what?”

 

“The Reaping.”

 

She goggled at him. “What?”

 

“The Reaping. It’s happening.” He drew a deep breath. “Here. Now.”

 

“At the Arena?” She shook her head incredulously. “That’s like the least mystical place ever.”

 

“Actually, it isn’t,” he corrected. “Caesar paid top dollar for that location. The place doesn’t amplify magic. It amplifies emotions. Which, for a morphling demon, is like reaching the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

 

“But doesn’t that place have protections?” Katniss asked, trying to think back to the conversation with Caesar that felt like it happened so long ago even though it only was a few days ago. “I seem to remember the morphling telling me that there were protections.”

 

“It did.” He pulled her back onto the sidewalk and walked down a few steps, pointing at something with his foot. “That looks like yew, pine, and maybe rosemary. Probably got a witch to do some kind of spell so that they could get in.”

 

“How did you find all this out?”

 

“A little seer told me.”

 

Katniss looked at him sceptically.

 

He held up his hands defensively. “No, really. Well, that, and I had a bakery delivery.”

 

“Bakery?”

 

“I kind of run a bakery,” he said with a shrug. “It keeps me occupied and out of trouble.”

 

“A vampire with a soul running a bakery. How weird is that?”

 

“I don’t know, I could be running a law firm in LA.”

 

She chuckled. “Point. It would be like you’d never even gained your soul to begin with.”

 

“It’s like Shakespeare said, in an ideal world, the first thing they’ll need to do is kill all the lawyers.”

 

“So you’re not just cryptic, you’re also well-read.”

 

He smiled at her. “I’ve had a lot of time.”

 

They continued walking towards the Arena. “So… seer?” she asked, looking over at him.

 

“Seer.”

 

“Must be nice, having someone to tell you where to go and when you need to be there without having to do all of the crazy research.”

 

“It’s actually a little annoying,” he said with a sigh. “They’re not really all that predictable and they’re often really hard to interpret, and it doesn’t help that…” He trailed off.

 

Katniss tilted her head. “Don’t help that what?”

 

“Nevermind, it doesn’t matter,” he replied, brusquely. “I think we need to hurry up. I hear screams.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, vampire hearing. Much better than human.”

 

Katniss gave him a look, but decided that he was right, they did have the Reaping to stop. They turned the corner of the alley leading to the Arena and saw a group of six fledglings guarding the door.

 

Katniss glanced over. “I’ll take the three on the left if you’ll take the three on the right.”

 

“What, three on one? Those are crap odds.”

 

“Yeah, crap for them.” She grinned.

 

Katniss surged forward, Peeta hot on her heels. It wasn’t much of a skirmish. It was clear that these fledglings were barely a month old, if that. They had all of the initial vampire strength and speed but no idea how to use any of it. Up against a well-trained Slayer and an ancient vampire, the six didn’t stand a chance. Less than five minutes after the fight began, all of the fledglings were dust and Katniss and Peeta were staring at the door to the Arena.

 

“So, is there anything I need to know before I kick the door down?”

 

Peeta sighed. “Cato will probably be in there.”

 

“Who?” Katniss asked, giving him a look.

 

“He’s the Master’s right hand,” Peeta explained. “He’s older than me, like a lot older, like older than pretty much any other vampire.”

 

Narrowing her eyes, the Slayer asked, “How old are we talking about?”

 

“Old. Roman old.”

 

Katniss’s heart dropped. She’d never fought a vampire that old before. Even Lothos hadn’t been that old. “So… there’s a two thousand year old vampire on the other side of that door and you didn’t see fit to tell me so I could bring reinforcements or maybe more weapons?” Her voice was hard.

 

“Uh, sorry?” Peeta apologized, actually looking apologetic. “It’s that seer thing - not really all that predictable. Or timely.”

 

“So basically, we’re going to be walking into an unknown situation with hundreds of innocents in the line of fire with an unknown number of opponents and a two thousand year old vampire who is probably going to be really pissed off that we’re interrupting his ritual,” she recapped in a flat tone.

 

“Sounds about right.”

 

“Great,” she sighed. “We’re about to face imminent death. Just what I always wanted to do on Friday night.”

 

“Well, it’s one hell of a first date.”

 

Katniss looked at Peeta, eyebrows raised. “Your idea of a date is really skewed.”

 

“Vampire.”

 

“Don’t remind me. And it’s not a date!”

 

“Shall we go?” Peeta motioned to the door of the Arena, pointedly ignoring her last sentence.

 

Katniss kicked the door off of its hinges, surprising the trio of vampires on the other side. Before they had time to move, Peeta was on them, dusting them with precision born of experience.

 

Katniss stormed in, her eyes on the large blond vampire up on stage.

 

Cato released the body of the woman he’d just drained, letting her fall to the ground in a boneless heap. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Slayer and the traitor, come to save the day.”

 

“Come to kick your ass, more likely,” Katniss called out, slipping into her Slayer persona.

 

“You can try,” Cato sneered. He turned to a group of vampires congregated near the front of the stage. “Boys, take care of them for me? I’ve got a Reaping to perform. And bring me another sacrifice, a pretty one. She’ll do.” He pointed at Cressida, who was huddled up against Flavius.

 

Two fledglings leapt forward and grabbed her. Cressida screamed and everything descended into chaos. While the rest of the group of about fifteen or so fledglings converged on the Slayer and her partner.

 

Katniss groaned. “Great! More cannon fodder.”

 

“Think we should let them have the opportunity to run away?” Peeta asked, eyeing them.

 

“Think they would take you up on the offer?” Katniss replied.

 

Peeta glanced up at the stage. “Probably not while Cato’s still here calling the shots.”

 

“Then I guess we know who target number one is.”

 

“You have to get through us first!” one of the fledglings called out.

 

“That sounds like a challenge,” Peeta said.

 

“Why yes, I think that was a challenge,” Katniss agreed.

 

“Shall we, my lady?”

 

Katniss didn’t bother to reply, pulling out two stakes so she could stake with both hands. She lashed out with her left hand, plunging the stake into a fledgling’s heart. “One!”

 

“Oh, so this is a challenge between you and me?”

 

She staked a second with her right hand. “Two. You’re falling behind.”

 

Peeta grinned at her. “Oh, you are on.”

 

The two waded in, dusting fledgling after fledgling, keeping count the whole time. Like outside in the alley, it was an uneven fight. As they cleared their path through the vampires, a whole contingent of frightened kids took advantage of the distraction to make their escape. Exactly what Katniss and Peeta wanted. The fewer potential victims, the happier everyone would be. Except Cato and his group, but no one cared what they thought.

 

As she fought her way towards the stage, Katniss kept her eyes open for Gale and Madge. She was hoping that they hadn’t come or that they’d managed to go home before the Reaping started. Unfortunately, Katniss spotted them out of the corner of her eye near one of the tables in the back, cornered by a very familiar fledgling vampire: Delly.

 

Katniss sighed, hating herself for being unable to save her friend. The only thing she could do now was offer Delly a swift death so that she could be reunited with her soul.

 

But she couldn’t worry about that now. She had to stop Cato first.

 

As their numbers deteriorated, the fledglings started realizing that they were fighting a losing battle, and several took off, fleeing from Katniss and Peeta. Katniss was grateful. The fewer enemies she had to fight, the more energy she could put into defeating the ancient vampire.

 

Jumping up onstage, she called out, “Yo, blondie! Pick on someone your own size!”

 

“Gladly. You’ll make a fitting tribute for Master Snow’s resurrection.” He shoved Cressida to one side and the girl scrambled to her feet, wisely getting out of the way.

 

As Katniss started her dance with the giant vampire, she took note of her surroundings. Peeta was off near the bar, helping Caesar take out several remaining fledglings. Delly was staring at Katniss, watching and waiting to see how the fight with Cato would turn out. The band, minus their now dead lead singer, was helping guide a line of potential victims out the stage door. Good, Katniss thought to herself. Even if she didn’t win this fight, there hopefully wouldn’t be enough sacrifices for the ritual to succeed.

 

Drawing on her training, Katniss leapt forward, trying to find a weak spot. The girl knew her one and only chance of beating someone this large and strong was to keep moving and keep out of his reach.

 

Easier said than done.

 

Cato was a good fighter, a better fighter than all of the other vampires she’d fought tonight combined. He was so good that she wasn’t sure she could beat him in an even fight. It was clear he had years of training and practice she just didn’t, and couldn’t, have. She knew she was fighting a waiting game until Peeta and everyone else managed to get the innocents clear.

 

Cato lashed out with one hand. Darting out of the way, Katniss stumbled backwards into the drummer’s kit. The drums clattered to the floor, causing a horrible ruckus and drawing every eye in the Arena to her. But it also gave her an idea. If she could use some of the equipment onstage, she might be able to incapacitate Cato enough to get a lucky blow.

 

Shoving a stake into one pocket, she grabbed a drum and hurled it at Cato’s head. She didn’t expect the instrument to injure the vampire, merely to distract him long enough for her to think of something else.

 

She heard footsteps behind her and a few seconds later Peeta leapt up onstage. “Need help?” he asked, smiling warmly at her.

 

“I wouldn’t say no. What took you so long?”

 

“Oh, you know how it is,” he answered lightly. “When Caesar starts talking it’s hard to slip away.”

 

“Next time try harder.”

 

“Are you saying that there’s going to be a second date? I’m gonna hold you to that.”

 

“Will you pay attention? And this is not a date!”

 

“Awww, isn’t it sweet?” Cato mocked. “The traitor and the Slayer, in love. Master Snow will be pleased to know that I’ve taken out two headaches when I report back.”

 

“In your dreams, Spartacus.”

 

“Um, Spartacus was the good guy?” Peeta pointed out.

 

“Whatever!”

 

Standing side by side, Katniss and Peeta advanced on the vampire. Two of them against one of him was a much more even fight. But still, Cato had power and experience on his side.

 

By unspoken agreement, Peeta stepped forward, striking at Cato in order to give Katniss a chance to dust Cato with a thrown stake. Reaching down, Peeta grabbed the discarded bass guitar and swung it wildly at Cato. The large vampire dodged out of the way, his back now to the front of the stage. On Peeta’s next swing, Cato caught the instrument and jerked it forward, pulling Peeta toward him off-balance. The souled vampire stumbled and Cato grabbed him, turning him to face Katniss, holding Peeta in front of him as a shield.

 

“You want to throw that stake at me, Slayer?” Cato taunted. “You’ve got to take out your boyfriend first.”

 

“He is not my boyfriend!”

 

“Yet,” Peeta said.

 

“Awww, isn’t it cute? A vampire in love with a Slayer.” Cato made several loud retching noises. “I’m gonna be sick.”

 

“Will you two shut up,” Katniss growled, glaring at the two of them. She shifted, trying in vain to get a clear shot. There was none.

 

Peeta shook his head. “Sorry, Katniss,” he replied, clutching at Cato’s arms with his hands.

 

The large vampire tightened his grip, moving his right hand up to cup Peeta’s chin. “Take a good look at her face, traitor. I want her horrified expression to be the last thing you ever see.”

 

Peeta surged into action. Slipping into vamp face, Peeta opened his mouth and plunged his fangs into Cato’s hand. The huge vampire howled in pain and surprise but Peeta didn’t stop his blitz there. He stomped his foot down on Cato’s instep and slammed his head backwards into Cato’s chin.

 

The tactic worked. Cato loosened his grip on Peeta, taking several reflexive steps backwards.

 

As if sensing that this was his chance, Peeta broke free, slipping back into his human face, and kicked out with one foot to push Cato even further back.

 

The ancient vampire dodged back once again, but this time it was a mistake. His right foot met open air and he teetered there for moment before falling back first off of the stage.

 

It was all the opening Katniss needed. Darting forward, she leapt into the air and plunged her stake down into the falling vampire’s chest, piercing his heart.

 

Cato’s eyes widened in pain and despair as he realized he’d been defeated. He opened his mouth to try to say something but nothing came out. He crumbled into dust moments later as Katniss landed in a crouch on the floor of the club.

 

It was over. She let out a sigh of relief and looked around, trying to see where she needed to go next. She noticed that the club was mostly empty and Caesar was herding the last few stragglers out.

 

At the back of the club, she could see Gale and Madge having it out with the now vamped Delly. She started towards them.

 

As she got nearer, she noticed that whatever they were talking about was becoming more heated. Finally, the vamped Delly seemed to have had enough. She lunged at Gale, her mouth bared. Madge seemed to be expecting this because she shoved the tall boy out of the way and with one hand reached down and snagged what looked to be a peach sunset, throwing it in the blond vampire’s face.

 

All three stood there for a second in shock, before Delly recovered, glaring daggers at Madge. “Oh, honey, you really didn’t want to do that.”

 

“Stay away from Gale!” Madge cried, stepping in front of the fallen boy.

 

“Oh Madge, Madge, Madge. Moving in on my territory already? And my body’s not even cold.”

 

Madge stared back at the other girl, her eyes wide.

 

“What? Surprised?” Delly asked mockingly. “I’ve always known you’ve wanted my man. I was just too much of a goody goody to say anything.” She smirked, the expression looking so wrong on her face. “Not so goody goody now. Gale’s mine. And he’ll be mine. Forever. And if you want to fight?” She shrugged. “I’d be up for that.”

 

Delly leapt toward the smaller girl and Madge was unable to put up much of a fight, although she tried, biting and kicking and clawing and using any and all objects that she could get her hands on as weapons.

 

Katniss positioned her stake, trying to get a good shot, as she wove her way through the minefield of overturned chairs and tables and dead bodies. But when Delly grabbed Madge by her neck, holding her up in the air, Katniss knew she’d run out of time. She hurled the stake in her hand, but Delly must have caught the motion out of the corner of her eye because she stepped to one side and the stake clattered to the ground harmlessly.

 

Glancing at Katniss, Delly sneered, “Oh, if it isn’t the Slayer, come to save your friend?   You’re too late, just like you were too late to save me. Watch as one more friend gets crossed off your list.” She squeezed her hand harder and Madge clawed at Dally's arm, trying in vain to get any air.

 

Behind Madge, Gale shook his head and rose to his feet, something clutched in his hand. He turned, seeing Madge’s face turning red and then blue as Delly slowly shook the life out of her. Not waiting to see any more, Gale acted, plunging the stake that Katniss had thrown into his girlfriend’s back.

 

It struck true and the vampire whirled to stare at Gale with betrayal in her eyes. “But baby, I lov--”

 

She crumpled into dust.

 

Gale and Madge both fell to their knees, Madge gasping for breath and Gale sobbing in despair.

 

The Reaping was over.

 

**oOo**

 

Back in the mansion’s garden, Coriolanus Snow crumpled to the ground at the edge of his rose garden. He’d felt his vessel’s death and he knew the Reaping was a failure. Digging his hands into the soft earth of his flowerbeds, he whispered, “This isn’t over.”

 

**oOo**

 

The Arena was quiet, an oddity on a Friday night. Amidst the destruction wrought by the Reaping, Gale and Madge sat on the floor, staring at the pile of dust that used to be Delly Cartwright.

 

Katniss sat a little to one side, watching the two, letting them grieve.

 

Madge was crying, huge gulping sobs, as she held an ice pack provided by Caesar to her damaged and bruised throat.

 

Gale just sat in silence, the earlier sobs having given way to a stunned denial. He kept reaching for the pile of dust before snatching his hand back.

 

Peeta padded over, having finished laying out the bodies of the dead. “They’re clean,” he said to Katniss.

 

The Slayer nodded her head. That was good. That meant all of the dead weren’t going to rise again as vampires. She wondered what she should do now. She needed to do something. But what?

 

Caesar was outside, talking to the cops. The whole thing was being written off as gang violence with several innocents caught in the crossfire, including Glimmer, Don’t Fear the Reaping’s lead singer. The incident would be swept under the rug by the Mayor’s office and by tomorrow everyone would be talking about the gang violence that left sixteen women dead and several more missing, presumed dead.

 

Gale looked up from Delly’s ashes, meeting Katniss’s eyes, his face stricken. “I - I killed my girlfriend.”

 

Before Katniss could say anything, the blond man turned his eyes to Gale. “You didn’t kill your girlfriend.”

 

Gale glared over at Peeta. “Yes I did! I shoved a stake through her heart!”

 

“You didn’t kill her,” Peeta repeated, his voice emphatic. “Your girlfriend died the instant the vampires took her. When they drained her body and turned her into one of them, her soul was lost. You did the right thing. Now she can rest in peace.”

 

“Why doesn’t it feel like the right thing?” Gale asked, his voice stricken.

 

Peeta reached out and clasped the young man on his shoulder. “Because you’re human.”

 

**oOo**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:  
> Written: 6/12/15  
> Revised: 6/15/15
> 
> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Only the epilogue to this episode to go. 
> 
> Part Six -- Thank You, Please Come Again.
> 
> Let us know what you think!


	6. Episode One - Part Six - Thank You, Please Come Again

**oOo**

 

Katniss was sitting on the first set of bleachers that had been pulled out for cheerleading practice in the gym, watching Cressida and her cronies. The four Stylettes, as they liked to call themselves, along with one other hapless male cheerleader, tried and failed, repeatedly, to make a pyramid with Cressida on top. It was kind of amusing.

 

Haymitch Abernathy, the cheerleading coach and gym teacher, as well as Katniss’s erstwhile Watcher, sauntered up and took a seat next to the dark-haired Slayer. Spreading his legs wide he leaned back, resting his elbows on the bleachers behind him. “So. I hear you’re quittin’.”

 

“Yeah,” Katniss said with a nod, watching Cressida fall backwards into Flavius’s arms. “It doesn’t really seem… right. I was only really on the team because of Delly.”

 

“I get that.” Haymitch took a drink from his flask. “So, got any plans for what you’re gonna do for extracurricular activities?”

 

“You mean slaying vampires isn’t enough?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

 

Her watcher gave her a look. “You’re the one who wanted to have a life, girl. I ain’t about to stop ya from living what life you’ve got left.”

 

That was one thing she appreciated about Haymitch. He didn’t pull any punches or feed her false platitudes. He understood that a Slayer was always living on borrowed time.

 

“I haven’t really given it a whole lot of thought,” Katniss admitted.

 

“How do you feel about archery?” he asked, squinting at her. “Your dad tells me you’re quite a shot and I wouldn’t mind bringing home another state championship this year.”

 

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I just wanted to do something different. Fun.”

 

“Well, think about it this way, sweetheart. If you’re on the archery team, you can walk around Panem carrying a bow and arrow and no one will look at you funny.” He took another drink. “Sure, they might dodge out of the way, but it gives you an excuse to walk around fully armed.”

 

“You’ve got a point.” She paused, looking around, noting that no one was talking about the events that had taken place on Friday. In LA, news like that would still be the talk of the school. Here, it was swept away with talk of a new store opening at the mall and what flavor of pies were at Mellark’s Bakery. “You know, this is a weird town.”

 

“Welcome to Panem, sweetheart,” he said, pulling out his ubiquitous flask and taking another drink. “Welcome to Panem.”

 

**oOo**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:  
> Written: 6/14/15  
> Revised: 6/15/15
> 
> Thank you for sticking with us! We have plans on continuing this series, but it won’t be right away. We want to work on finishing Floriography and getting ahead on Let Me Fly, as well as FanficAllergy putting out Participant. We’ll revisit this the next time we feel the need to mash Buffy and Hunger Games together and say ‘Now KISS!’ We’ve set up quite a few things here. It’ll be fun to see them pay off.
> 
> We look forward to seeing what you think: don’t forget to leave a comment on your way out!


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